Tho' All the World
by speedfweak
Summary: A continuation of the Natalie Grant series. Crichton has returned to Earth to help Grant and Chiana, but at what cost? UPDATED Ch's 7 through 20.
1. Disclaimers

Two Stones: Tho' All the World

Copyright © 2005

AUTHOR: speedfweak

RATING: R –Violence, language, and adult content.

SPECIAL DISCLAIMER: Due to world events, discretion is advised. The subject matter and the views expressed in this story do not accurately reflect the views of the author. This is only a story and should be taken in that context.

DISCLAIMER: Farscape and all its characters belong to the Jim Henson Company and Hallmark Entertainment. No profit will be made from them and are being used purely for entertainment.

Hey, I haven't written an actual disclaimer before, so I figured why not start now:)

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Due to certain events I was not able to write the original sixth story in this series, "Inservio". I know I promised you all that story and I know you all were waiting for it. All I can do is apologize. Also, due to the nature of this series and all that I have planned out, this story (TAtW for short) will be written as originally planned with slight modifications. This means TAtW will be laced with flashbacks of plot elements that would have appeared in the previous story to explain elements that seem to 'appear out of thin air' in TAtW. Again, I apologize for breaking my promise, and I hope you all will understand that the reasons for this were out of my control.

I have also finally settled on a name for this series. It's called "Two Stones". With everything that's happened in this series thanks to Crichton and Natalie, I'd say it fits.

This is the sixth story in the series. The previous stories are "Going Home?", "A Mother's Love", "To Kill For", "Home, Sweet Home", and "No Frills".

One last thing, I have taken certain liberties with people and objects found on Earth, either for the sake of the story or through lack of available information. The latter mainly consists of places on Earth.

Sharon, you have stood by my side through everything. You have supported me and encouraged me in ways that no one else ever could have. Saying thank you doesn't seem to be enough for all that you have done for me. But I will be forever grateful to you. I also realize that I'm probably making some people extremely ill from all this sap, but I just can't help myself. You are the love of my life, Sharon.

Once again, thank you, Aleria, jessiac, and David Falkayn for helping me make sure this fic can be the best it can be. I don't know where I'd be without you three. You all have helped to fine tune this story and turn it into what it is now. I would also like to thank MoyasGhost for his help in translating a section of my story. I'm pretty anal about making things just like I want, and he helped to make that happen.

Asterisks denote flashbacks.


	2. Last time on Farscape

For Misty Blue.

You mostly laid, sometimes sat, and hardly ever just stood by my side for ten years. You were the best companion anyone could have ever asked for.

You will never be forgotten.

* * *

**Last time on Farscape…**

"Zhaan?"

"Oh, yes, Pilot. What is it?"

"There appears to be a ship just inside Moya's sense horizon."

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"I am putting the ship on the forward portal."

None of them had ever seen a ship such as the one that was being shown on the portal, none of them except John, that is.

"Oh, my god." John said quietly as he watched the image on the portal. "It' s from Earth."

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"Commander, could you please return to Moya? There is a problem, and we need _your_ assistance," Pilot said.

"Alright, Pilot, I'm here. What's up? Are you okay, Pilot? You look like someone just walked over your grave."

"John, there is something you have to see." Pilot depressed a panel on his console and replayed Scorpius' transmission on the forward portal.

"Attention, leviathan Moya, I have your son the gunship, and Crais. If you do not wish to see your son destroyed, you will deliver John Crichton to me at the coordinates provided. Once I have the wormhole technology that Crichton possesses, I will release the gunship and Crais. I expect you to be there with Crichton in four arns."

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John took off leaving his home, he knew, for the last time. He piloted the pod to the looming carrier, and he was sure that Scorpius was watching his every move. John could immediately see the Peacekeeper guards through the pod's forward portal as soon as he had docked in the carrier's transport hangar. He didn't see Scorpy, but John knew that Scorpius was there, waiting for him. He shut down the pod's systems and opened the hatch to find Scorpius waiting for him at the bottom of the ladder. "Well, here I am, Scorpy," John said as he climbed down the ladder, his eyes never leaving the scarran half-breed's. "You win."

"Of course I have Crichton. It was…inevitable," Scorpius said as John stepped onto the hangar's metal floor with a loud clank. "Take him to his cell."

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He saw flashes of light passing over him as he slowly regained consciousness, but when he did, he felt that his head, arms, legs, and torso were strapped down to what he realized was a table. His eyes shot open, and he started to struggle against his restraints, but to no avail.

"Welcome back, Crichton," Scorpy said.

"What the frell is going on, you freak?" John yelled.

"You'll see Crichton," Scorpy said, as the walked into another part of the room. But he did overhear Scorpius talking to a female Peacekeeper. "Is everything ready?"

"Yes, Scorpius," the voice said. "All instruments haven been readied, and the patient is ready for surgery."

"Surgery?" John yelled to no one in particular. A masked Peacekeeper came into view above him with an instrument that looked a lot like a power drill. "What the hell is that? What the hell is going on?"

"Calm down, Crichton. The surgeon is only going to remove the neuro-bio tracer that contains the wormhole technology from your brain."

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"Aeryn, are you sure this is wise?" Zhaan asked as she watched her sebacean friend put on the red and black Peacekeeper special-ops uniform that had belonged to Lt. Hassan.

"No, Zhaan, it isn't wise," Aeryn replied as she put Hassan's ident chip around her neck then looked right at the delvian Priestess. "But we don't have a choice. If you do have another plan, please, tell me."

"No, Aeryn, I don't have another plan," she said with a sigh, and put her hand on Aeryn's arm. "May the Goddess be with you."

"Your Goddess had better be with us, or we're all dead," Aeryn said as she picked up her pulse rifle, walked past Zhaan, and onto the transport hangar where her prowler was waiting.

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The control console suddenly went up in a series of sparks and smoke, shutting down the Aurora chair, and sending Lenara and everyone else in the room diving for cover.

"What happened?" Scorpius angrily asked as he got up from the floor behind the chair, and marched to the console.

Lenara stood up, and inspected the console. "It was a power surge of some kind, sir. This is completely useless now, but the techs can have it repaired within the arn."

"Get the techs," Scorpius fumed. "Tell them they have half-an-arn." He turned around to look at Crichton, who was still gasping for air, and calmed some as he thought of something "Take Crichton back to his cell, and once the console is repaired bring me Aeryn Sun. She might know something, and be more…cooperative than Crichton."

"Yes, sir" John heard Scorpy's assistant say as she walked out of the room.

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"Alright, baby," John said, getting up from the floor, to a semi-conscious Aeryn sitting in the aurora chair. "Let's get you out of this damn thing, and get you out of here."

"John? What the frell are you doing here?"

"I'm saving your beautiful ass.

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"D'Argo, you're not going to make it back to Moya in time. You're going to have to come over to Talyn with us. The carrier's frag cannons still aren't in range of him yet."

"But there are Peacekeepers on board Talyn."

"No, D'Argo, that's already been taken care of, and you don't have a choice. Now follow us in."

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Talyn powered up his engines for starburst as the command carrier readied its frag cannons to fire at Talyn once more. "Talyn what are you doing?" Aeryn asked the ship. "Power down now!"

"Hey what the hell is going on?" Natalie asked.

"Moya has instructed Talyn to starburst," Zhaan responded. "May the Goddess be with you all."

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"No," D'Argo yelled from his position at the back of the bridge with Chiana nearby, leaning against the last support pylon on the right. "We are here and we have to do this now. If we do as you say, there's the chance that my son will be sold before we get back."

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He looked around the empty barracks, and said, "Frell." Keeping his eyes forward, John added, "D'Argo…I'm sorry, man. I know how much you wanted to be with your son, but…I'm sorry…"

Turning around to go back down the drainage conduit, John said, "C'mon, Chiana, let's go."

"No!" D'Argo yelled, gaining John's and Chiana's attention. "He has to be here, and we will keep looking."

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The large luxan looked at his friend's nearly blank stare, and worriedly asked, "John?"

"Don't worry about me," John said, snapping out of it. "I'll be alright."

D'Argo paused for a beat to watch his friend before spinning back around to kill some more guards.

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Aeryn set the marauder down in Moya's nearly pitch-black transport hangar just as John and D'Argo jumped out with weapons in hand. They ran to opposite sides of the hangar and aimed their weapons at anything that moved, or at least they tried to. They couldn't see a thing.

Just then Aeryn turned on the marauder's flood lamps, illuminating the forward half of the transport hangar. But that wasn't the only thing that they were illuminating.

There were at least two-dozen nebari surrounding them with their weapons at the ready.

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John came up to the door of Zhaan's quarters with Meelak close behind. He looked through the latticework to his right and saw the beautiful blue, bald-headed priestess sitting on her bed with her back to the door, meditating in the nude.

"Hello, John," she serenely said. "You may come in."

"If you want to live, I suggest that you do not go in."

"What?" John asked incredulously. "You're going to kill me for opening a door?"

"Not me." Meelak turned his head to look into Zhaan's quarters and said, "Her."

John followed Meelak's gaze and looked into Zhaan's quarters to see the delvian standing next to her bed with red eyes.

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"Meelak wants us to do something for him," John said. "He wants us to steal something for him. A used data crystal."

"Why a data crystal?"

"Meelak said that if we do this for them they'll help us find a way to help Zhaan, _and_ they'll leave Moya and give her back to us."

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"What the hell are you doing here, Scorpy?" John asked

"I'm here for the same reason you are, Crichton," Scorpius calmly said.

"The data crystal. So just what the hell is on there that would bring you all the way out here from your _precious_ Gammak Base?"

"I know you're smarter than that, John."

John thought for a microt as lightning suddenly flashed. He waited for the thunder to die down and stated, "Wormhole information."

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Braca looked directly at John, indignation in his eyes, and squeezed the trigger.

D'Argo saw Braca's eyes and mumbled, "Oh, frell."

Seeing Braca readying to fire at him, John swung his left arm around to aim at Braca. Crais saw John move and knew that Braca was going to fire. Beating John to the punch, he fired at Braca's head killing him instantly, while John repeatedly fired at his torso. Thunder and lightning rocked the entire area. As he fell dead into the mud, Braca's finger depressed the trigger on the pistol in an involuntary muscle reaction and fired one round at John's left side. Braca lay on the ground with steam rising out of his wounds in the cold rain. After being hit, John fell back into the mud as he aimed and fired at Scorpius, who was trying to dive for cover. The pulse blast hit Scorpius in his abdomen, his regulation suit partially protecting him. Scorpius laid still in the muck, feigning unconsciousness.

Simultaneously, D'Argo saw John move to fire at Braca and leaned back slightly to avoid the shot from the corporal that he knew was coming. The Corporal saw D'Argo move and pulled the trigger on his pulse rifle as another thunder crack rang out. The pulse blast whizzed past D'Argo's face as he brought his qualta rifle around. Aiming again at the luxan, the Peacekeeper fired, hitting D'Argo in the shoulder. D'Argo roared in pain and brought his rifle up to fire into the Peacekeeper's midsection. As the weapon's fire hit him, the commando fired again, hitting the luxan in the side. In his rage, D'Argo fired again, hitting the Peacekeeper in the gut again, but the soldier returned fire, hitting D'Argo in the chest. In retaliation, D'Argo ignored the pain from the shots and drove the twin blades of his qualta rifle through the commando's abdomen right up to the barrel. A lightning bolt hit nearby with a deafening thunderclap and D'Argo pulled the trigger once, forcing a pulse blast into the commando and throwing him off the qualta rifle. The Peacekeeper landed nearly six hentas away. D'Argo watched the commando land and fell back onto the muddy ground in a bloody mess, his blood flowing completely black. With D'Argo falling to the ground, Crais was the last man standing.

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John came to stand next to Scorpius, who was writhing in pain from his still rising body temperature and his wounded leg. Seeing Scorpius' condition in a flash of lightning, John waited for the thunder to die down and asked, "What's the matter Scorpy? Feeling a little hot under the collar?"

"Crichton, you cannot kill me. If you kill me, then you will be killing yourself," Scorpius croaked with a gulp, his breathing labored. For emphasis, he repeated, "You will kill yourself, Crichton."

"Then I'll see you in hell," John calmly said and pulled the trigger, firing a single pulse blast at Scorpy's head. The shot killed the half-breed instantly. Checking Scorpy's belt, he found two, one of which was stained with blue nebari blood.

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"Hey, D'Argo," John yelled as he ran to them, the rain pounding down on his body. "Looks like we won't have to worry about Scorpius anymore." Running up to his luxan friend, John saw that he was unconscious and had blood streaming out of his mouth. "Frell," he said and knelt by D'Argo, splashing muck everywhere. "It's still black."

John raised his hands to slam them onto D'Argo's wounds and cleanse them, but Crais suddenly interrupted him and said, "Don't waste your time, Crichton. He's dead."

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A few microts later, Natalie walked up to John and Aeryn with her hair down, concealing her transponder. "Hey," she softly said.

"Hey," John replied. Turning to her, he thought he smelled raslac on her, but he ignored it and asked, "Where were you, anyway?"

"I was taking care of something on Moya with Pilot."

"Taking care of something?" Aeryn asked.

"Yeah, I was moving my stuff over to Talyn."

"Couldn't that have waited?" John asked.

With a sigh, Natalie closed her eyes and let her head fall. Looking back up at John, she said, "Talyn and I are leaving as soon as I get back on board."

"What?" John and Aeryn simultaneously asked in shock.

"Yeah, Talyn and I leaving. And Chiana's coming with us.

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The hatch suddenly opened revealing two Peacekeepers - a male and a female - in red and black special-ops uniforms with their pulse rifles raised and ready to fire. They slowly and silently stepped inside and swept the room. "All clear. Jasik, I saw a data crystal in the port on the strategy table. Check it out."

"Yes, sir."

Jasik activated the table and displayed the data crystal's information – a dizzying array of blueprints and other equations suddenly appeared in the hologram.

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_I'm picking up a solar flare,_ Talyn interrupted.

"Here we go," Natalie said nervously, powering up the engines and the stabilizer and starting her run. She entered the wormhole and was immediately thrown into the side of the cockpit, bruising and cutting her forehead, as the twisting wormhole tossed the prowler from side to side. Grabbing the stick, Natalie pulled herself up and made sure the sensors were functioning properly as she tried to level off the prowler. The wormhole continued tossing and rolling the small craft, then just as suddenly as the 'ride' had begun, it was over.

"Oh, Gawd," she croaked, trying to catch her breath as she reversed thrust, bringing the prowler to a stop. Unexpectedly, the collision sensors came alive indicating a large planet to her left and she peered out of the canopy to take a look. A large smile grew on her face as she gazed at the beautiful blue planet, the moon spinning in space to her left. She watched the Atlantic Ocean with Western Europe to one side and the North American Eastern Seaboard to the other and said, "Now, _that's_ a beautiful sight."

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She chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief, and heard Jack say, "Natalie, this is Doctor Matt Donovan and this is Doctor Gail Smith. They'll be Chiana's and your doctors while you're here at the center."

"Doctors? As in plural?"

"Yeah."

"Why two?" she asked, glancing worriedly at Chiana and back and forth between the two doctors and Jack.

"Well, Doctor Smith is a civilian surgeon/M. D. from St. Luke's Episcopal," Jack introduced. Natalie noticed Jack's use of the word 'civilian'.

"How are you?" Doctor Smith asked in a heavy, nasally southern accent, shaking Natalie's hand.

"We thought you might want a non-IASA doctor to examine you," Jack said.

"You thought right."

"And Doctor Donovan…"

"Don't say it," Natalie exclaimed, seeing the dog tag chain around Donovan's neck.

"And Doctor Donovan is an Army surgeon/M. D.," he said, ignoring Natalie's outburst. "He holds the rank of Captain."

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"Later tonight you'll get to put those hormones of yours to some good use," Natalie suggested mischievously.

"I can hardly wait," Matt responded, a smirk on his face.

"But in the meantime," she said, picking up her bag. "I've got dirty laundry to air out. You can look around if you want." She gave him a kiss and walked into the head to take care of her laundry. Talyn immediately closed the hatch behind her.

Turning around, Matt walked around her quarters and looked at the various consoles and transparencies. He walked up to the strategy table and checked it out, spying what looked like a data chip in a slot along the edge of the table. Without warning, a holographic image of what he assumed to be a sebacean female, her back to the camera, and an alien male having sex appeared above the table.

"You're into alien porn?" he quietly asked, chuckling.

His smile soon faded though as the image viewpoint shifted and revealed who the woman was.

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She pulled up and lowered the main skid. Diving, she hit the roof of the Suburban with the skid and veered, hitting the side of the Suburban with the side of the skid, causing it to swerve and nearly spin out. She throttled back and pulled up behind the SUV, ramming the skid into the rear window, then throttled up, pushing the SUV.

Seeing a bridge quickly coming up, Natalie pulled up and tore the skid through the roof of the Suburban to fly over the bridge. But as she did so, she caused the SUV to spin out into the grass and run head-on into a bridge support column.

"Where the hell is he?" Natalie asked, flying back down to the highway. She banked, turned around, hovering above the pavement, and saw the smoldering Suburban wrapped around the support column. "Oh, shit."

She flew the prowler back over the bridge and landed in the grass behind the SUV. Before the canopy could open completely, she was out of the cockpit and running up to the car.

"Jason!" she yelled, running up to the passenger side. Looking inside the window, she breathed, "Oh, my God."

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They didn't notice the two elevators stopping on their floor. A police detective and a half dozen uniformed officers walked out of the elevators to the nurse's station.

"Uh, Natalie," Chiana interrupted before they reached the ICU doors, looking back at the police.

"What?" Natalie exclaimed impatiently.

"I think we have a problem," she mumbled as the detective noticed them.

He rested his hand on his pistol under his coat and said, "Doctor Grant, stay right where you are."

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The two continued on in exhausted silence, Chiana resting her head on Natalie's shoulder as they sped toward Hertz rental. Turning into the canopied lot, they stayed out of sight of the helicopters and saw Jack waiting for them by his Chevy truck.

Natalie pulled up to him and said, "Thanks for coming, Jack."

"It's no problem, Natalie," he replied. "So, what do you need?"

Glancing at Chiana, she answered, "I need you to take Chiana and hide her somewhere safe."

"What?" Chiana exclaimed, pulling back from Natalie.

"Chiana, you've watched all those chases on TV," she said, looking at her. "You know how these things end. I do not want you there with me when that happens. I'll draw them off to give you guys more time to get away."

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_Natalie…_ he whispered.

"Yeah, Talyn?"

_I love you._

She smiled and softly said, "I know."

"Doctor Grant," she heard one of the police yell through a bullhorn. "Get off the vehicle and get down on the ground face-down with your hands out to your sides."

"You can kiss my rosy-red ass," Natalie mumbled and suddenly shifted into first, twisting the throttle and accelerating toward the roadblock. She spun her rear wheel and popped the front wheel off the ground. The police immediately fired non-lethal beanbag rounds at her with their shotguns as she charged them. The rounds bounced harmlessly off the underside body-cladding of the Yamaha.

Still riding on her rear wheel, Natalie swiftly passed between the bumpers of two patrol cars and immediately dropped the front wheel. Unfortunately, one of the cops shot out her rear tire with his pistol. The motorcycle wobbled and fell over, throwing her off. She skidded and rolled across the concrete, coming to a stop, face-down, in the middle of the street.

"Ow," she groaned hazily. She tried to push herself up, but collapsed back onto the ground in pain.

Running up to her, the officers trained their weapons on her while one of them stood over her, unsympathetically pulling her arms behind her back and handcuffing her. He said, "Doctor Natalie Grant, you're under arrest."

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Hearing a knock on his office door, General Sloane closed his laptop and said, "Come in." Watching the man closing the door behind him, he asked, "So, was your trip to Talyn productive?"

"Yes, sir, it was," he answered, walking up to Sloane's desk. "We were allowed minimal access to Talyn's systems, but I think we got a fairly good overview."

"Good enough to reproduce?"

"Yes, sir."

"Is there anything else?"

"Yes, sir," he said, placing a bag on the desk. "We were allowed to bring back several items that I'm sure will keep the engineers happy for a while."

"Good work, Doctor."

"Sir, there's one more thing."

"Oh? What would that be?" The man opened the bag and took out a fairly large item, placing it on the desk. Sloane asked, "What's this?"

"It's called an image viewer," he answered, taking a data chip out of his pants pocket.

"This is what you wanted to show me?"

"_This_ is what I wanted to show you, sir," he said, holding up the data chip, then placed it in the image viewer. Suddenly a hologram appeared above the desk – it was of Natalie having sex with an alien.

"Well, this is certainly interesting," he said, watching the vid playing out. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Doctor."


	3. Chapter 1

An armed guard led her down the gray, cinder block walled halls, past killers, thieves, drug addicts and pushers, prostitutes, and people who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time – people whom she had come to call her fellow inmates. She couldn't bring herself to call them her fellow convicts for she had not been convicted of a crime, or crimes, herself – yet. Some would say it was a matter of semantics, but the distinction between inmate and convict was much too clear in her mind. For her own sanity, she would not allow herself to be associated with those who were truly guilty of committing horrendous acts of violence for their own benefit.

Yet, at the same time, she _was_ guilty – not of committing horrendous acts of violence for her own benefit, but of trying to do the right thing in a bad situation. Of trying to do the right thing in a world where laws dictated what people could not do, even if, at that time, setting aside those laws was the right thing to do. Unfortunately, after having lived in a lawless place for more than a cycle, she was used to doing things her own way, no matter what was written on a sheet of paper in a dusty old book. Some had said that was no excuse for not abiding by the law; she was still a citizen of the United States of America, and was, therefore, still subject to those laws. But to her, some laws hurt the public more than they helped, even in a country as free as the United States. If laws said that people could not do the right thing, then were those laws just? In her mind, they weren't.

She had to admit, though, that trying to do the right thing didn't justify what had resulted. According to the police officers who had arrested her, she had committed theft, several acts of destruction of public and private property, assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, and reckless endangerment and assault involving motor vehicles and an aircraft. They would have arrested her for involuntary manslaughter, too, but fortunately the woman she had hit with the landing skid while flying the prowler had pulled through.

That was seven months ago. She had spent the first three months of her incarceration healing from the injuries she sustained after having the Yamaha she had stolen shot out from under her. The next four months had been spent in prison while waiting for the clogged court system to get to her case, and for her lawyer and the Assistant District Attorney to work out a deal. The last time she heard from her lawyer about a deal, she told him to get back to doing what her family was paying him large amounts of money to do – what he had brought to her wasn't what she had wanted or expected.

She stopped at a steel door, waiting for her guard to open it and lead her down another white, sterile corridor with several steel doors lining the wall to her right. To her left were several more guards, standing watch in front of a wall. They were waiting for what they were trained to handle – for what they knew could happen inside the small rooms behind the steel doors.

A guard and another prisoner, a Latina whom Natalie knew as Leticia, were walking toward her. Leticia was being escorted back to her cell. Natalie tensed, knowing what was coming. Just as Leticia and the guard passed Natalie on the left, the Latina suddenly shoved Natalie violently into one of the doors and punched her across the jaw, knocking her to the floor. But before she could hit Natalie again, the two guards picked Leticia up, threw her back against the other wall, and one of them quickly extended his tactical baton and struck the Latina in the abdomen to subdue her. She fell to the ground, coughing and gasping for air. The other guard came back to Natalie and helped her to stand. He looked at the angry bruise forming on her jaw and gently said, "You should get that looked at."

"I will," she said, gently rubbing her jaw. "But not right now."

As the guard nodded, the other guard brought Leticia to her feet. She glared at Natalie and, in a heavy Latino accent, yelled, "You better fucking stay out of my way, freak."

Natalie sighed and mumbled, "Whatever."

With a disgusted huff, the guard gently grabbed Natalie's arm to continue to lead her down the hall and said, "C'mon." Reaching the seventh door, he ordered, "Stop here."

She complied and waited for him to unlock and open the door. As soon as she stepped inside the small, white room, the guard closed and locked the door behind her. The room was just like all the others lining the hall outside – white with a single, plastic chair bolted to the floor. A short desk in front of the chair was bolted to the walls at her sides and the half wall in front of her. Attached to the left wall, slightly above the desk, was a phone, and in front of the phone and desk was a wire-reinforced glass partition separating the room she was in from the large room behind it. Just beyond the glass, though, was a welcome sight.

Smiling, she sat down, picked up the phone at her left, bringing it to her ear, and said, "Hey, Jack. How are ya?"

"I'm all right," he answered, smiling back at her. His smile faltered, though, as he noticed the new bruise forming on her jaw and, in concern, asked, "You okay, Natalie?"

Her smile fading, Natalie sighed, planted her elbow on the desk, and ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing it back out of her face. She softly said, "Not any better since the last time you visited."

"I'm sorry."

"It's all right," she said, a small reassuring smile on her face that was more for herself than for Jack. Letting her head fall, her smile fading, she closed her eyes and sighed. Looking back up at Jack, she softly added, "This place is hell… and I never expected it to be anything else."

Natalie's words stuck in Jack's mind and forced him to take a good look at her for the first time. The several times he had come to see her before, he had noticed how prison life affected her physically – the disheveled hair, the dark circles under her eyes, the tired look and bruises on her face, and her slumped shoulders, none of which were very surprising. But this time, he noticed for the first time the mental and emotional toll it was taking on her. Being a retired Colonel and former astronaut, Jack never was one for emotions and didn't usually notice them. But this time, her few words spoke volumes and he couldn't help but notice. He saw that spending the past five months in prison had brought her to the breaking point.

Watching Jack stare at her, Natalie asked, "Hello, Jack? What's the matter?"

"What?" he stammered, coming out of his reverie. "Oh, sorry. I was just thinking."

Looking at him softly, she asked, "Well, don't do that again, all right? We don't have much time on these visits."

"I know."

"So, what were you thinking about?"

"You."

"Me?" she asked, sitting back in her chair, surprised. "Wow… I didn't think you'd have anyone else but John on your mind."

A sheepish grin came to Jack's face as he chuckled softly. "Yeah," he said. "I have been thinking about him quite a lot lately."

"Lately?" she asked, sitting forward and resting her forearm on the desk, an incredulous look on her face. "Try for the past three years."

"Technically, it's been two and three-quarters…"

"Jack, stop it," Natalie firmly stated. "You've been obsessing about him ever since he disappeared. First, it was about his death, then, when I told you he was still alive, you started obsessing about seeing him again. Obsessing isn't a good thing. You have to stop."

"Easier said than done."

"Don't I know it. Before I came back, I'd been obsessing about coming home and being with Jason again. Now look where I am."

Jack sighed and said, "Be careful what you wish for."

"Exactly."

"But enough about me." Jack chuckled again and added, "I came here to talk about you."

"And I came here to talk about Jason." Her expression softening, she asked, "How's he doing?"

"He's doing well. He still needs crutches to walk around, but the doctors say that he won't need them anymore in a few weeks."

A relieved smile crossed her face and, after a beat, she said, "Next time you see him, tell him I love him for me, will ya?"

"Sure, Natalie. I'll let him know. But why don't you let him know yourself? It won't be any trouble for me to bring him by…"

"No!" Natalie shouted. "I've told you before, Jack. I do _not_ want him to come here."

"Natalie, I don't understand," Jack nearly shouted himself, an exasperated look on his face. "You hadn't seen him for over a year, then when you came back you only got to see him for less than two weeks before getting arrested. I figured you'd want to see him again."

"I do, Jack," she sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "But I want to see him on my terms. I don't want him to have to see me like this, sitting in a jail cell behind glass, wearing an orange jumpsuit." Pointing at her jaw, she added, "And I _do not_ want him to see me with my face messed up like this. If he did, he'd be worrying forever and I don't want that."

"All right," Jack said with a slight nod. "I won't bring him by. Hopefully, with your trial nearing, you can see him then."

"Yeah, hopefully…"

Silence consumed the two for several seconds. Looking at the bruise on Natalie's jaw again, Jack finally asked, "What happened?"

"What happened what?"

"That," he answered, pointing at her jaw.

"Ah, that…" she said, gently rubbing her jaw.

"Yeah, that."

She sighed and slumped back in her chair. After a beat, she said, "I got it a few minutes ago, just before I got here."

"Why? What happened?"

"I know it's clichéd, but I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was coming and she was going. She decided I was in her way and, because I'm a 'freak', she could do whatever she damn well pleased to me. That's the way it's been ever since I got here.

"I always have to watch my back no matter where I am. At night, I have to make sure that everyone else falls asleep before I do, and I have to make sure that I wake up before everyone else does to make sure they don't do anything to me in my sleep. If anything does happen to me, I have to let it happen because if I fight back they'd make things even worse for me."

"My, God…" Jack whispered, looking at her in shock. "Why are they doing that to you?"

"Well, like I said, they think I'm a freak because I've got this thing in the back of my neck that, with the transponder, let me talk with Talyn. They think it because I've been to places and I've seen things that they could never comprehend. They think it because I'm famous. They think it because they believe I'm a threat to them; either physically or mentally, I don't know. But I'm sure for some of them it has to be because I'm more intelligent than they are. You know how some people can feel threatened by others who are smarter than they are…"

"Why didn't you ever say anything about this before?"

"I didn't want you to worry," she said softly.

"Well, we worry about you anyway," he said. "But it's no real surprise they feel threatened by you, what with all the propaganda that's being put out about you."

"Yeah," she sighed. "It's always easier to blame the victim than to take responsibility for yourself. It's even worse now after what happened on September 11. The government is trying to make me out to be a terrorist; and because of what happened, everyone believes the government can do no wrong. No one is questioning them, what they're doing, but they should."

"You can't blame it on just that, Natalie. The crap about you that they're giving to the media is very convincing."

"Yeah…" she trailed off, looking down at the desk. She softly added, "But not all of it _is_ crap."

"What are you talking about?"

Looking shamefully up at Jack, she said, "You know that partial footage they 'showed' of me having sex with that alien?"

"Yeah," he hesitantly said, dreading her answer.

"That was real."

"It was real?"

"Yup."

"Look, Natalie, I don't want to pry into your personal life; what you do is your business. But just what were you thinking letting yourself be caught on film like that? And just how the hell did the media get a hold of it?"

Resting her elbow on the desk, Natalie sighed as she covered her eyes with her hand, then said, "I didn't even know he recorded it." Looking up at him, she added, "Not until he showed me the vid chip and gave it to me for '_posterity_'. As for how the media got it… I have no idea. The only people who saw it were Talyn and Matt, and there is no way either one of them turned it over."

Jack sighed in frustration over the added mystery. Pushing it to the back of his mind for the moment, he asked, "Why didn't you erase it?"

"I didn't even want to think about it. I _was_ going to destroy it, but I just put it in the back of my mind like I do everything else that I don't want to think about."

"What do you mean?"

"That's what I always do, Jack. When D'Argo died, I put it in the back of my mind and didn't want to think about it. I did the same when I learned about Dad and Sam. But being in prison… you have nothing else to do but think. It forces you to think. I've been thinking about a lot of things."

"I know what you mean," Jack softly said, resisting the urge to ask who D'Argo was.

"You do?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I do," he answered, leaning forward on the short desk in front of him. "During the early days of the Vietnam War, before I joined the astronaut program, my F-4 was shot down. I spent nearly two weeks behind enemy lines before I was picked up by a rescue chopper. Between making sure the enemy didn't find me, finding food and water, and resting, I had a lot of time to think."

"I had no idea, Jack," Natalie quietly said, her mouth agape.

"Not many people do," he said, sadness in his eyes. "My children aren't amongst them. Not even Leslie knew."

"Are you ever going to tell them?" Natalie asked, trying to avoid mentioning the name of Jack's oldest daughter, Susan.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "That's something they don't need to know. But I came here to talk about you, not me. You need to talk, and I'm your best choice."

"Then what do you want to talk about?"

"What did you think about?"

Sighing again, she looked down and planted her elbows on the desk, leaning forward on them. She looked up at Jack and was silent for several seconds, deciding whether or not to talk. She finally said, "Like I said, I thought about Dad, Sam, and D'Argo. And I did something that I hadn't wanted to do before. I mourned."

"What's so bad about mourning?"

"Everything."

"It's something we all need to do, Natalie."

"That doesn't mean I have to like it," she quietly said, then sniffed and swiped at the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Nobody said you did. But it's still something we all have to go through. I learned that the hard way, when I thought John died."

"Not when Leslie died?"

"Yeah, when she died, too. But that was different. I had to be strong for my kids."

"Yeah… I'm sure Mom felt the same way with Jason and Scott when Dad and Sam died."

"What about you?"

"Yeah, when I 'died', too. Actually, in a way I did die."

"How so?"

"I died when Talyn gave me the transponder. Or, at least, I started to die then." Looking down, she let out a huff softly and continued, "Talyn knew I liked my privacy and had constructed a transponder for me that would only work one way. It allowed me to hear his thoughts, but he couldn't hear mine. And he couldn't sense my emotions, except for my stronger ones. I thought _that_ part worked both ways because I couldn't sense his emotions, either…"

"But?"

"But I was wrong, in a way. I noticed it a little while after they took my transponder away."

To Jack's frustration, knowing how badly she needed to talk about it even if she didn't want to, Natalie paused and remained silent for a few minutes. Jack decided to push her, but gently, having learned from his kids that if you pushed people too hard they tended to 'clam up'. "What did you notice?" he softly said.

She stared at him thoughtfully, not knowing if she should continue or not. In the end, she decided to tell him. Looking down again, she said, "That, I might not have been able to sense his emotions, but his emotions – and maybe even his personality – were beginning to merge with mine. And mine with his."

"That does explain some things. We all noticed you had changed, but we thought it was from what happened to you out there."

"Well, it was that _and_ Talyn. I mean, when Matt walked out on me… I got plastered. Yeah, I drank a lot before I got caught here, but I never drank that much. Do you think I ever would have had that much to drink before I got sucked into that wormhole? Would I have ever rammed that SUV into the bridge support? Or would I ever have run from the cops, fought them the way I did, and left Jason alone in the hospital?" Shaking her head, she added, "I never would have done that before. But all those things were what Talyn would have done."

"What about now that you're not in contact with him anymore? Are you back to normal?"

"Normal's a relative term, Jack."

"Yeah, it is," he replied, grinning at her. "But are you back to the way you think you would be without him?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I guess I am, but I would've changed anyway without him. I have changed."

"Of course. No one could have gone through what you have without coming home different."

"Yup. So, who knows how things might've turned out."

"You sound disappointed."

"Yeah, I am," she said sadly. "I mean, Talyn has protected me and given me someone to talk to other than Chiana. Don't get me wrong, Chi's my best friend. But who knows how I would've turned out if she were the only person I had to talk to." Shuddering, she added, "I don't even want to imagine."

"Is that all?"

"No," she answered, shaking her head. "I still wish I had my transponder."

"Even knowing what it's done to you?"

"Yeah." Seeing the question in Jack's eyes, she stated, "Talyn's been up there by himself for six months with absolutely no one to talk to. Do you think you could last that long without talking with anyone?"

"No, I couldn't," Jack answered, wishing he could tell Natalie that Chiana and he had been having one-sided conversations with Talyn, using the comms she had given him. But he couldn't risk telling her over the prison lines that he knew were being monitored. Otherwise, someone would be by his house later that night to take Chiana.

"And what if you couldn't talk with the person you love for all that time, knowing that she was stuck in some prison and there wasn't a thing you could do about it?"

"What are you talking about?"

Suddenly, over the prison intercom, they heard, "Visiting hours will end in five minutes."

"Well, so much for that conversation," Natalie muttered.

"Look, Natalie, I'm sorry for getting here so late…"

"Don't worry about it," she interrupted. "I know how busy things can get for you at IASA."

"Things might get busy, but I promise I'll try to get here sooner."

"Thank you, Jack," she said, smiling at him.

"You're welcome, Natalie," he said, smiling back at her. Sighing, he looked down, then looked back up at her and said, "I should be going now."

"Yeah… But I _will_ see you same time next week, right?"

"Yeah, you will," he answered, still smiling at her. "I'll see you then."

"I'll see you then." As Jack moved to hang up the phone, Natalie suddenly planted her hand on the glass to get his attention and yelled, "Jack, wait!"

He quickly brought the phone back to his ear and said, "Yeah, Natalie?"

Natalie desperately wanted to ask him about Chiana to find out how the little thief was doing, but she knew better than to ask him about her on what was, most likely, a monitored line. She sighed and dejectedly said, "Never mind. I'll see you next week."

"All right. I'll see you next week."


	4. Chapter 2

Opening the door, Jack walked into his home from the garage and unexpectedly found himself in what seemed an empty house. Usually, when he arrived home from work, he found Chiana sitting at the dinner table or sitting on the couch in the adjoining family room, listening to whatever CD she had in the stereo, watching television, or reading a magazine or book. She was also usually bored to death. Having to remain hidden in Jack's home, she had no other choice but to do practically the same thing every day. But she tried to break up the monotony by doing things in a different order or at varying times each day.

Oftentimes, Chiana told Jack that she knew how Natalie felt in prison, having to put up with the monotony. He had to admit that Chiana was right; his home was a prison. His house was the place where he had lived his life with Leslie, his wife, and the place where Susan, John, and Olivia had grown up. It had never been anything other than a home until a young woman named Chiana needed a place to hide until his son came back. He hoped John would come back soon. As the months had passed, Chiana had grown increasingly antsy, and, if John didn't arrive soon, Jack felt she would eventually make a mistake and venture outside. With the growing paranoia in the country over terrorism and the possibility of aliens walking amongst the general public, undoubtedly someone would see her and inform the police. Eventually, the military would come to capture Chiana and possibly arrest him, as well.

Derailing that train of thought, he shut the door and walked through the kitchen and dining room to the family room. He set his briefcase down on the coffee table, then took his jacket off and tossed it onto the armrest of the couch next to him. "Chiana?" he called out. He began to worry at the lack of an answer and walked into the foyer and up the stairs, trying not to think the worst.

"Chiana?" he called out again, turning to his left at the top of the stairs and walking up to Olivia's door on his right. _Chiana's door,_ he corrected himself. Olivia's and his rooms were the only rooms that were still bedrooms. Both John's and Susan's bedrooms were filled with priceless memories Jack couldn't live without, and he wouldn't let anyone into either of the rooms to disturb them.

The door was ajar and Jack knocked and peered in to see if Chiana was inside. He noticed that the sheets on her bed had been slept in and her clothes were strewn about the floor, but she wasn't in the room. Looking at her messy room, he chuckled and thought, _Another teenager._

Just as he turned to leave, he heard the distinct sound of vomiting coming from the bathroom. Realizing what most likely happened, he shook his head and walked into the room, heading for the bathroom door at the back on the right. He walked inside and found Chiana hunched over the toilet, vomiting everything she had eaten for the day.

Sighing, he turned on the sink faucet, grabbed the plastic cup sitting next to it, and filled it with water. He listened to her heave one last time as he filled the cup, then brought it to her. Kneeling next to her, he handed her the water, then gently rubbed her back. As she gratefully rinsed her mouth out, Jack softly asked, "You okay?"

She shakily handed the cup back to him, nodding, and quietly said, "Yeah."

As Chiana flushed the toilet, Jack set the cup down on the floor and asked, "What did you eat this time?"

"I have absolutely no idea," she answered, closing her eyes and wrapping her arm around her stomach as she tried to fight off another bout of queasiness. Smoothing her long hair back and out of her face, she sighed and added, "I was starving, so I just grabbed something out of the pantry."

"You know you can't do that, Chiana, especially not with all the crap food manufacturers put in their products these days," he gently admonished. "You know your body can't handle all the preservatives and additives."

"Yeah, I know," she sighed, then spun around to sit back against the vanity next to the toilet, leaning her head back. "But you need to go to the store more often. There's hardly anything around here I can eat."

Chuckling, Jack sat down across from her and leaned back against the wall. He grinned at her and said, "You sound exactly like my daughters when they were teenagers."

Opening her eyes, she softly said, "But did your daughters vomit every time they ate something?"

"No, fortunately they didn't. I don't know what I would have done if they had." Looking down, he sighed and said, "But Leslie was more of a parent than I ever was."

"Crichton turned out all right, so you must've done something right."

"Yeah…" he said, noncommittally.

Changing the subject, Chiana said, "You know, what's making me so frelled is probably just what you buy. What I ate in the decon chamber, at the hotel, and at Natalie's ranch never made me this sick."

"That makes me feel so much better, knowing it might be my fault."

"It's not your fault," she responded. "You've just got dredgenaughts for kids; they never come by to help their father."

"You insulted my taste in food and now you're insulting my kids?" he asked, a grin on his face.

"Shut up," she said quietly, a grin growing on her face. She smoothed her hair back, then, remembering where Jack had just come from, asked, "How's Natalie doing?"

"Not good," he sighed. "I don't think she'll last too much longer from what I saw. But her lawyers and the D.A.s are working on a plea bargain that will hopefully get her out soon."

"Frell lawyers," she stated. "All those fekkiks ever do is cheat you out of your currency."

Laughing, he said, "That's a pretty cynical view."

"It's not cynicism, it's realism. I was on a planet full of lawyers once, so I should know."

"A planet full of lawyers? Hell, that would probably make _anyone_ cynical."

"Which is exactly why we should break her out," she blurted out, sitting forward.

"No, that's the worst thing we could do," he stated firmly. "Like I said, she's close to getting out now. If we break her out, she'll be a fugitive and her life will be over."

"We could get back to Talyn and we could leave…"

"How? Both of your prowlers were confiscated. There's no way either of you can get off the planet."

Chiana sat back with a sad sigh, knowing he was right. She hated it when he was right. Of course, he was right fairly often.

With a sigh of his own, Jack slowly stood and offered Chiana his hand, helping her off the floor. He said, "I'd better let you get cleaned up. I'll see you downstairs."

"All right," she said, turning around and turning on the faucet as Jack walked out, closing the door behind him.

----------------------------------------------------

Tossing the day's mail onto the coffee table, Jack slowly sat down on the couch in the family room, sitting back and crossing his legs, and let out a slow sigh of relief. Noticing the lithe nebari coming down the stairs, he called out, "Chiana, take a seat. We have to have a little talk."

"What's wrong?" she asked, walking into the room and taking a seat on the love seat next to the couch.

The way the nebari walked still seemed unusual to Jack, even after all the time they had spent living together. What made it even more unusual was the fact that she was wearing human clothing, something one of his daughters would wear. Returning his thoughts back to the point, Jack stated, "I had a talk with Bill Granger while I was getting the mail. He complained about the noise again."

"Frell," she mumbled, shaking her head. "Playing the stereo was never a problem before he got that hearing aid."

"Maybe not with him, but the rest of the people in the neighborhood sure noticed when you turned up the stereo as loud as you did. If you keep doing this, they're going to start asking questions. I've told Bill that I'm taking care of Olivia's dog and that I leave the radio on for him while I'm at work. Some of the other people around here will probably want to bring their kids by to see him if I tell any of them that. They'll be scared out of their minds if they find you here instead of that dog."

"I know," Chiana lamely responded. Looking Jack squarely in the eye, she added, "But do you have any idea how frelling boring it gets here?"

"I know, Chiana. I know." Jack sat forward on the couch, resting his elbows on his knees, and added, "But just like with the food, you can't risk it." _At least you didn't try to sneak out again_, he silently added.

"Yeah," she sighed and sat back, watching Jack as he grabbed the day's mail. "Frell, you humans are just as bad as the Peacekeepers."

"Don't generalize," he gently admonished as he sorted through the letters, bills, and junk mail. "That only gets you into trouble."

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"But in a way, you're right," Jack sighed as he opened the gas bill. Looking up from the bill, he continued, "Some humans can be, and are, like Peacekeepers. If you and Natalie didn't exaggerate about the Peacekeepers, that is."

"Are you klempt?" Chiana yelled, sitting forward on the recliner. "Just why the frell do you think me and Nat exaggerated?"

Looking up from the letter in hand, Jack said, "I can't believe all Peacekeepers are as bad as you two make them out to be, especially after what you've told me about Aeryn Sun."

"Aeryn's different."

"How?"

"The Peacekeepers kicked her out; she's not one of them anymore."

"But do you know how she was when she was a Peacekeeper?"

"Yeah, I do," she answered sadly, slouching back in the recliner as she remembered the recording of Aeryn and her squad firing on Moya's first pilot.

Jack could only nod at Chiana's answer. He could tell she didn't want to give him any more information than that, and he had learned long ago that pushing wasn't always the best thing to do. That was something John had never learned.

Just as he was about to get back to the mail, Jack suddenly heard Chiana blowing and curiously looked at her. He raised an eyebrow at her as he watched her blowing her hair out of her face. Chuckling, he turned back to the mail and said, "You need a haircut."

Combing her fingers through her white, neck-length hair, she said, "If you can get some frelnik who won't notice the fact that I'm not human to cut my hair, then let's get 'em."

He chuckled again, tossing the mail onto the coffee table and sitting back, then asked, "Just how did y'all cut your hair on Moya, anyway?"

"DRDs."

"The DRDs cut your hair?"

"Yup," she said, flinching slightly, then reached behind her and pulled her silver pulse pistol out from inside the waistband of her jeans, placing it in her lap. Noticing Jack's curious look, she said, "It was frelling digging into my back."

"That's not what I was thinking."

She picked up her pistol and, gazing at it, said, "I learned that I should always keep this with me." Looking at him, she added, "You never know when something might happen that you'd need a gun for."

"I'm sorry I asked."

"What the frell are you sorry for? You didn't do anything."

"Chiana, I've learned that fate has an unusual way of giving you what you wish for, just not in the way you expect it."

"You think something's going to happen?" she asked.

To Jack she always seemed like a scared, lonely child no matter how well she hid it. In a way she was still a child. From what little she had told him of her life before she found Moya, or rather Moya found her, he figured she had led a very hard life, a life that forced her to grow up faster than a child should. He didn't want to give her an answer that would undoubtedly worry her no matter how much she denied it did. But he couldn't lie to her either. "Probably," he eventually said. "Fate can be a bitch."

----------------------------------------------------

"Frell," Chiana mumbled as she straightened up, wiping the spit and liquefied toothpaste from around her lips. She washed it off her hand and dried it on the towel hanging on a rack on the wall next to her, then continued to brush her teeth. _What I wouldn't frell for a dentic right now,_ she thought.

She had to admit that Earth had grown on her over the past several months, despite having to remain in hiding for who knew how long and despite her 'eventful' first two weekens on Natalie and John's homeworld. But while the planet had grown on her, she still hated how primitive it was compared to what she was used to. The messy task of brushing her teeth was just one thing out of several that annoyed her to no end, especially since she had to do it four times a day to make sure her teeth didn't fall out when she got old. None of it had bothered her at first. She had even thought some of the archaic methods employed on Earth were interesting in a weird way. But they still didn't compare to what she was used to: dentics, DRDs, traveling through space, atmospheric travel instead of traveling on the ground, edible food, pleasure bars, and being able to go wherever she wanted. She missed it all.

It wasn't all that bad, though. There were some things on Earth the territories – Peacekeeper, Uncharted, Scarran, Nebari, and Tormented – could use. She loved the music on Earth, especially Alternative and Techno, and if she could find a way to get it out to the Uncharted Territories, she would be rich for life. Of course, her love for human music got her into trouble more often than not, but it was worth it to her.

Chiana spat one last time into the sink as she placed the toothbrush on the vanity, the bristles hanging over the edge of the sink, washed off her lips, then rinsed her mouth out. Grabbing the toothbrush, she rinsed it off and returned it to the small cup inside the cupboard on the wall next to the towel rack.

Shutting off the lights, she walked into her bedroom, then peeled off her clothes, laying her pistol on her bed, and changed into her tank top and flannel pajama pants. Grabbing her pistol, she placed it under her pillow and was about to climb under the blanket when she suddenly heard a thump come from downstairs. She grabbed her pistol from under her pillow and cautiously walked to the door, making sure each step she took was light and couldn't be heard from downstairs. Quietly opening her door, Chiana poked her head out and called out, "Jack?" She waited several seconds for him to answer her, but heard nothing. "Frell," she blurted out, slamming and locking the door.

Without warning, something crashed through her window and Chiana ducked, covering her head with her arms to avoid getting hit. She slowly uncurled herself and turned to look at what had been flung into her room. It was a small metal canister. "What the frell?" she mumbled.

Suddenly, the canister exploded, sending a startled Chiana onto her back, and emitted a noxious gas that quickly spread and filled her room. The gas caused her eyes to burn and her throat to tighten, making her gasp for air. But all she breathed in was the gas, causing her to cough and choke again. Trying to keep her eyes closed, she stumbled to her bed and climbed onto it to get to the window. As she undid the latches, the door was suddenly kicked in and a soldier dressed in green camouflage, black body armor, and a gas mask entered her room. She raised her pistol and shot him in the chest. He fell back against the wall, gasping as the composite armor plate inside his vest absorbed the impact of the pulse blast and was slammed into his chest. The intense heat from the blast caused the Kevlar to catch fire, as well, and he stumbled out of the room, pulling off his body armor.

Chiana turned back to the window and covered her nose and mouth with her free hand, trying to keep from breathing in the gas as she opened the window. As she kicked out the screen, three more soldiers entered her room and aimed their tranquilizer rifles at her, yelling at her to get face-down on the floor. She aimed her pistol at them and fired, forcing them to take cover on the floor and behind furniture as she quickly climbed out of the window.

Stepping onto the wood patio cover, she bent over and gripped the exposed wood girders and jumped down between them onto the patio. She looked up and saw one of the soldiers stepping partially out, aiming his tranquilizer pistol at her. She quickly stepped out of the way; the dart barely missed her and impacted on the concrete beneath her. She immediately raised her pistol and shot at him, hitting him in the foot and leg and forcing him back inside the house.

"Drop the gun!" she heard from the corner of the house to her left. She turned to see two soldiers, one kneeling and one standing, aiming their rifles at her.

"Dren!" she yelled and immediately ran into the large backyard, trying to reach the fence on the other side whilst dodging the tranquilizer darts they were firing at her. Fortunately, she could run faster than humans. The snipers hadn't expected that and weren't able to get a good lead on her. _At the moment,_ she thought.

The fence only a few yards away from her, Chiana was about to jump when she felt a stabbing pain in the back of her left thigh and stumbled slightly. But she didn't let the stinging of the needle digging into her thigh or the burning of the tranquilizer entering her body stop her. She jumped over the fence and across the alley, but caught her foot on the top of the fence of the house on the other side of the alley. She landed hard on the grass on her right side, crying out in pain and dropping her pistol.

Ignoring the pain in her side, Chiana got up as quickly as possible and pulled the dart from her thigh, tossing it to the ground. She hoped her body would be able to metabolize the human tranquilizer as it did other sedatives made in the Territories, but from how her body handled some other human-made products she couldn't be certain. Retrieving her pistol, she tried to run towards the back door of the house in front of her, but fell to the ground almost immediately, a sharp pain in her right hip shooting up her side. "Frell!" she cried out.

Hearing the door open, she looked up to find a teenage girl standing in the doorway with an extremely confused look on her face. Chiana ignored her and got up again, running toward her as fast as she could with her injured hip causing her to limp noticeably.

As she reached the doorway, Chiana suddenly heard from behind her, "Hold it!"

She glanced back and saw one soldier prone on the ground, his rifle aimed at her with two other soldiers climbing over the fence behind him. Instinctively reacting, the nebari grabbed the girl out of the doorway, causing the snipers to open fire on her and try to protect the teen from Chiana. But Chiana pulled the girl in front of her faster than the snipers could pull their triggers. The darts struck the teen as Chi fired back at the solders, hitting one on the helmet and knocking him out as her other shots went wide but forced the other two soldiers to take cover on the ground.

Chiana let the unconscious teen fall to the ground and bolted into the house as the two remaining snipers got up and ran after her. Glancing back, she saw the soldiers checking on the girl to make sure she was all right, but they didn't spend too much time on the teen. They took several more shots, forcing Chiana to duck for cover as she limped through the family room, ignoring the screaming trelks in the house having a party. While Chiana's body could withstand the sedative, she still didn't want to get shot. Getting up, she pushed and knocked over several people including some of the screaming trelks she would have rather shot, or at least knocked out.

She limped down the hall toward the front door, but before she could move two steps, the door was kicked in and two soldiers ran in after her. The two other soldiers she had shot at were closing in on her from behind. She immediately limped to the first available opening which was the kitchen to her left. She saw a bottle of Jack Daniels sitting on the counter and grabbed it, throwing it at the four men. The bottle shattered as it hit one of the soldiers on the helmet, sending shards of glass into his flesh and spraying its contents onto all four men. As the bottle hit the soldier in the head, Chiana quickly raised her pistol and fired at the snipers, remembering what had happened to the first soldier in her room. All four snipers instantaneously caught fire.

Limping out the other exit into the living room, Chiana left the snipers burning, crossed the living room, stumbling around various pieces of furniture, and ran out the front door as best she could. As she ran out into the street she saw four military HMMWVs coming at her, two from either end of the street, and tried to speed up her pace, attempting to ignore the pain in her side as she ran onto the lawn of the house on the other side of the street. She ran to the side of that house and slowly climbed over the ten-foot tall fence as she heard the Hummers screeching to a halt. She dropped down onto the ground, falling over in agony and dropping her pistol as she let out a soft cry from the intense pain shooting up and down her right side.

Pushing herself up as quickly as she could, she grabbed her pistol and stumbled along the side of the house, supporting herself on the brick wall. Before she got halfway to the end of the house, she heard two thumps behind her and turned to look back. There were two canisters lying on the ground a few yards away. "Frell," she said, frustrated, then covered her nose and mouth as the canisters exploded and released their contents into the air.

Stumbling through the fast-spreading gas, she reached the end of the house and saw a young couple frantically climbing out of a pool in the backyard as they stared at her and the spreading gas. Unexpectedly, she heard another thump and tried to peer through the gas to see what the military had thrown at her this time when the small green canister rolled up to her foot and struck it.

"Oh, frell," she yelled and ran towards the stunned couple, recognizing the ball as a concussion grenade from her time with her military escort. Jumping into the pool, Chiana dragged the couple back in and held them under as the concussion grenade went off, sending shockwaves across the yard and over the pool. Coming up for air, she pulled up the couple up with her and, not caring about the fact that they couldn't understand her, said, "Sorry."

All the pair did was stare at her in stunned silence as Chiana climbed out of the pool, smoothing her wet hair back, and stumbled through the gas back to the fence on the side of the yard. She slowly climbed over the fence, hoping the soldiers couldn't see her and that they wouldn't check the next yard over. As she landed, she fell over again. She shut her eyes, gritted her teeth, and gasped for air as she turned over onto her back, the pain in her hip more intense than before. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes only to find several tranquilizer rifles aimed at her. She closed her eyes again and whispered, "Frell."


	5. Chapter 3

"Grant," a female guard yelled, causing Natalie to look up from the book in front of her. "You've got a visitor."

Surprised, Natalie glanced at the clock. She was sure it wasn't time for Jack to drop by and she wondered who the visitor could be. She closed the book, stuffing it under her pillow, stood up from her bed, and walked toward the waiting guard, staying well away from the other inmates scattered around the open dormitory style room who were watching her. Her jaw was still recovering from the last attack she had suffered and she didn't feel like 'acquiring' any more bruises. It seemed like they took every move she made as an excuse to do something to her.

Fortunately, the trip to the visiting hall wasn't as 'eventful' as the last one. As the guard opened the door, revealing who had come to see her, Natalie stood in surprise and smiled. Her smile faltered, however, as her visitor didn't return the gesture. Confused, she walked into the tiny room and sat in the chair, resting her arm on the desk in front of her, and picked up the phone. "You're a little early aren't you, Jack?"

Ignoring her question, Jack sat forward and stated, "Chiana's gone, Natalie."

"Excuse me?" she quickly asked, not believing her ears.

"Deltas stormed the house and took Chiana," Jack replied. "They drugged me, but not before I got a good look at their uniforms."

"Jack, wait," she said, closing her eyes and holding up her hand. "All right, you said Deltas…"

"Yes."

Opening her eyes, she sat forward in the chair, dropping her arm onto the table, looked at Jack in disbelief, and said, "So, they just came into your house, drugged you, and took Chiana?"

"Yeah."

She sighed and slumped back in her chair, a look of incredulity on her face. Letting her hand fall, she dropped the phone onto her lap and sat in stunned silence. She couldn't believe that the military had managed to capture Chiana with their technology when so many others in the Uncharted Territories and in Nebari space had tried and failed. From what little Chiana had told her, Natalie managed to gather that Salis and Durka merely got lucky when they captured her. She had to assume it was a similar situation with the Deltas, even though they were some of the best soldiers in the world and specialized in rescue and recovery. After all, the Deltas didn't have technology that was as advanced as that of the Nebari or of the bounty hunters stalking the Uncharted Territories, looking for their next prize.

Raising the phone to her ear, her lips tried to form the words she wanted to say, but they wouldn't come. She licked her lips, swallowed, and said quietly, "How the hell did they find out?"

"I don't know," Jack answered, shaking his head. "With how often Chiana snuck out, it could've been anyone. But the only people I know for sure who knew Chiana was with me were Olivia and DK, and they only found out by accident. But there is absolutely _no way_ they would've told anyone or turned her in."

Nodding her head slightly, Natalie sighed and asked, "Have you spoken to anyone about this? Any of the people who owe you favors?"

"I wish I could, Natalie. But if I say a word about this to anyone who didn't already know Chiana was with me… who knows what these people would do to them and to my family. I won't risk their lives."

Having only heard half of what Jack said, Natalie stated, "They couldn't afford to involve one of America's greatest heroes in all of this." Looking at him, she added, "That's why they only drugged you. Well, that and they probably figured they could use you for something as well. They could use the threat of letting everyone in the world know that you aided and abetted a dangerous alien."

"Exactly." Sighing, he added, "And that's what scares me."

"They could try to use you against John whenever he gets here."

"Yeah," Jack softly replied.

Looking at Jack thoughtfully, she could tell he noticed the wheels spinning in her mind, but she couldn't tell whether he was worried or cautiously optimistic. She eventually said, "Do you think you have enough pull with the government or at least someone in the military to find out where they're holding Chiana and where they're keeping my transponder and prowlers?"

"I don't know," he answered, shaking his head. Seeing the desperate look on Natalie's face, he added, "But I could try to guilt trip someone into giving me the info." Getting a suspicious look in his eyes, he added, "You're not thinking what I think you're thinking?"

"I need to get you and Chiana back to Talyn, Jack. It's the only way either of you will be safe."

"Natalie," Jack warned emphatically. "They're listening."

"I don't care, Jack. They'd have to be stupid not to know I wanted to get out of here as fast as I could." Looking into his eyes, determination in her own, she said, "Like I said, we need to get back to Talyn. That includes you."

"No," he emphatically stated. "I won't leave, Natalie. My daughters are still here and I won't leave them."

She looked at him in frustration for several seconds, then finally said, "Your daughters are very lucky. But I still need to find Chiana and get off this rock and back to Talyn."

"And what about Jason and your family?"

"That's the only hitch in my plan," she said, sighing and rubbing the bridge of her nose. Looking back up at him, she said, "I don't want to take Jason or my mother and brother away from the only home they've known, but they could be used against me just like your kids could be used against you."

"Which is exactly why you should think about this. I know you're worried about Chiana. I am, too. But your trial is a few weeks away. There's a chance that you could get off with time served or be found not guilty. You can do a lot more for Chiana as a free woman than you can as a fugitive on the run."

"I can't just let them take Chi and do who-knows-what to her, Jack. I have to help her. So, please, do what I ask."

Jack looked at her thoughtfully at her for several seconds, deciding whether or not to do what she asked. He eventually said, "All right. I'll do what I can."

"Thank you, Jack," Natalie said, smiling. "I'd kiss you right now if it weren't for the glass."

"I know," he said, returning her smile.

"Oh, and when you get my stuff, be sure to get _all_ of my stuff," she said, hoping he'd figure out that she wanted her coat, oculars, belt, holster, and her two pulse pistols back.

"I'll get them for you," he chuckled.

"Hey, I told you I'd want them back."

----------------------------------------------------

It had only been a few hours since Jack had left the prison to do what he could, but to Natalie it seemed like an eternity. In those few hours, she had eaten lunch, finished her book, and was now in the TV room watching some stupid reality show with ten other inmates. However, in those few hours all she could think about was Chiana; how she was going to break out of prison, find Chiana, and break her out of wherever she was being held. She didn't even remember how the book she read ended. All that mattered was getting her family and Chiana to safety.

Natalie was sure Chi would go along with whatever she planned, no matter what. Her family, on the other hand, she wasn't too sure about. Of course, she wasn't so sure taking Jason with her was a good idea herself. She didn't want to take him away from the only home he had ever known, especially while he was going through such a difficult time. He lost his mother first, and then was taken away from his friends to be with his grandparents. However, his grandfather died less than a year after she supposedly did, and one of his uncles was killed a few months before his grandfather because someone hadn't done their job right. Over a year had passed since Natalie had 'died' before Jason learned that she was still alive. Then, after Natalie had come back to Earth, he had been drugged, kidnapped, seriously injured in a wreck that she had caused, and had to learn that she had been arrested. After all that, she didn't want to turn his world upside down any more than she already had. After all that she had done to him, she didn't want to take a normal life away from him. But what could she do? If she didn't take him with her, there was a chance he could be harmed even more because of her.

Then there was the rest of her family, or rather the last of her family. Her mother had lived on that ranch off and on for fifty-nine years. Kristin had moved in when she was eighteen, immediately after she had married Paul, who was twenty-one at the time. They were forced to move out whenever Paul had been reassigned to another military base. However, the ranch was always their home and he would try to get reassigned back to the Hampton Rhodes area whenever possible. Upon retirement, that's where they had decided to stay. They wanted to keep the ranch in the family.

Natalie had no idea if her mother would leave or not, after having spent so many years there, having made so many memories there, and after having buried the man she loved there. She was leaning toward her mother staying on Earth. Kristin was a strong woman, and if she did decide to stay behind, Natalie was sure she would be able to weather whatever the government threw her way. But, that didn't mean she didn't worry about her.

Her brother, on the other hand, was definitely staying. Scott was a career Naval officer, just like their father, and he wouldn't leave the Navy. Of course, talking to him to try to convince him to leave wasn't even possible. He was at sea and couldn't get leave, not even to come to her trial. Natalie didn't have any choice but to leave him behind, no matter how much she hated it.

_This is a CBS News special report,_ she heard in the background, being brought out of her reverie. Looking up at the television, she saw Dan Rather's face, but chose to ignore him and whatever was so 'important' that he needed to get another five minutes of exposure. She needed to think.

…_the alien, Chiana, has been captured,_ Natalie unexpectedly heard. She jerked her head up to the TV as Dan Rather announced they were going to a briefing at the Pentagon.

_Good evening,_ an Army General stated as he took the podium. _Last night, an Army Special Forces unit tracked down and captured the alien known as Chiana, a Nebari, in the Houston area. She is currently being held in a secure, undisclosed location for her own safety. She will be held there for an indefinite period of time. Questions?_

Natalie immediately turned away from the TV, ignoring the televised question and answer session. She had never been so angry in her life. The news conference was like a slap in the face and there was nothing she could do about it other than sit back and watch. _Being kept in a secure undisclosed location for her own safety?_ she thought. _Bullshit._ They just wanted to make sure no one could rescue Chi.

Apparently, the other cons in the room considered it to be a slap in her face, too, and they were staring at her. One gang in particular even got up to gather around her and gloat.

"So, looks like your little friend got caught," Leticia said, sitting backwards in a chair in front of Natalie, a grin on her face. Natalie ignored her.

"Too bad she ain't here," another Latina inmate named Andrea stated. Today, it was the Latinas' turn. The African Americans wouldn't get involved, but they would eventually, when the Latinas were finished. The Caucasians were so few in numbers that they didn't want to get involved and protect Natalie to keep from being harmed themselves. "She's real pretty." That earned a glare from Natalie, causing the cons around her to laugh.

Turning away from Andrea, Natalie noticed that one of the most recent arrivals, a Caucasian convicted of fraud, if she remembered correctly, was moving as if she wanted to help; race was everything in prison. As she was about to get up to come to Natalie's aid, Natalie gave her a subtle shake of the head, telling her to not get involved. Unfortunately, it wasn't subtle enough. Some of the cons gathered around her noticed the gesture, then followed the direction of her gaze to see at whom it was directed.

"Well, looks like you've got a new friend," Leticia drawled, looking at the fraud convict. "Let's go say hi," she added, then got up and walked over to the woman, leaving Natalie alone in her corner. As they gathered, the other woman shifted nervously in her seat, kept her head down, and shifted her glance toward Natalie, begging her for help.

The inmates started to touch her, insult her, make passes at her. Natalie would most likely get a beating that night for helping, but she couldn't sit by and do nothing. She stood up and said, "She's not my friend, so why don't you leave her alone."

"She speaks," Andrea stated, looking at Natalie from where she stood behind the other woman.

"I said, leave her alone," Natalie firmly repeated, taking a few steps toward the group.

The gang immediately got up and walked toward Natalie as the other inmates in the room moved off to the sides to give them some space. As they approached, Natalie shifted slightly into one of the fighting stances she learned while on Talyn. Before, if she had fought back, there would have been severe repercussions. That was most likely true this time, as well, but this time she wasn't just fighting for herself.

One of the cons suddenly rushed Natalie, her arm pulled back ready to unleash a pummeling as Natalie prepared to block her and retaliate. Without warning, one of the guards ran up from behind Natalie. His baton extended, he slammed his weapon into the midsection of the Latina, forcing her to her knees, her arm wrapped around her abdomen as she violently coughed and spasmed. Several other guards swarmed the TV room with batons and pepper spray at the ready and subdued the other inmates without any further trouble.

As two guards lifted the inmate from the floor and dragged her to the medical wing to see a doctor before being dumped in 'the hole', another guard approached Natalie and said, "Your lawyer's here. He wants to see you."

"My lawyer?" Natalie mumbled, then turned and walked out of the TV room toward a visiting room, accompanied by her guard.

Earlier in the day, as Jack and Natalie had worked out the details, Jack had told her that once he managed to come up with something he would get word to her via her lawyer. But Natalie doubted that he would've been able to do that so quickly. Something was up.

----------------------------------------------------

Reaching the visiting room, the guard opened the door, let Natalie in, and closed the door behind her. Unsurprisingly her lawyer, David, was nowhere to be found. All there was in the room was a short, rectangular metal table and two metal chairs. Whenever he came to visit, David was always there waiting for her in one of the chairs. She was certain something was wrong.

After several minutes of waiting, Natalie started to anxiously pace back and forth, but decided to save her energy and sat on the edge of the table, facing the door. After several more minutes of waiting, the door finally opened and Natalie stood up to greet the idiot who had kept her waiting. She let out a snort with an incredulous grin on her face as she watched the man walk inside as the door closed behind him. It was a man in a black suit, carrying a black briefcase. She looked down, crossing her arms, and turned around to walk around to the other side of the table. Turning to face the man in black, she said, "I was wondering when one of you guys would drop by to see me. I have to admit, I'm a little shocked that it's taken you this long."

"Doctor Grant, please," he said, then walked up to one of the chairs and set his briefcase down on the table. A sincere look on his face, he continued, "I'm only here to talk. Unlike my associate with whom you met in Virginia, I will not force you to do or reveal anything you do not wish to. My only hope is that you and I will be able to come to an equitable agreement that will benefit the both of us."

Natalie let out a derisive laugh and moved to stand across the table from the man in black. She shifted her weight onto one foot, an amused grin on her face, and said, "So, what is this? Good cop, bad cop?"

"I don't follow," the man politely responded.

"Your friend decided to be a 'badass' and kidnap me and drug me to force me to give up what I know, then here you come along acting like the nicest man in the world, offering me a deal," she stated, glaring suspiciously at the man. "Nice game you got going. Although, this _is_ pretty damned clichéd. I figured you secret government agent types could come up with something better than this shit."

"Doctor Grant, insults will not accomplish anything." Motioning to the chair across from him, he added, "Please, sit down so we can discuss matters."

"All right," she drawled, then waited for the man sit down in his seat before she pulled out the chair in front of her and did the same. Crossing her arms again, she asked, "So, what do you want to discuss? Oh, wait, lemme guess. You want to talk about Talyn." Natalie watched as he pulled a laptop out of his briefcase, opened it, and set it off to the side. He angled it to ensure she couldn't see the screen. She waited impatiently as she watched him bring up a program on the laptop, most likely her file, then said, "Considering where I am, I've got all the time I could ever want. How 'bout you?"

He looked at her carefully and stated, "You're anxious."

"No, I just want to get this over with, so I can go take a piss," she said, crossing her legs. "I haven't peed since early this afternoon."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"I'll bet you are," she replied sarcastically.

As a small grin appeared on his face, he said, "Let's get started, shall we. I don't want to keep you here any longer than need be, so you can take care of your… business."

"Fine," she sharply said. "But first, there's something I want to ask you," she added, uncrossing her legs and arms to sit forward in her seat, resting her elbows on the table and clasping her hands.

"Please," he politely invited.

"Just out of curiosity, what would you give me if I did cooperate?"

"We would give you your life back, Doctor Grant. You would be released from prison and would work with us to help us reproduce your technology. We could set up a lab in Virginia in which you could work, so you could be closer to your family. As extra incentive, we would pay you handsomely. I might even be able to return your transceiver to you."

"Is that right?" she drawled. "Well, first of all, it's a transponder, not a transceiver."

"Actually," he interrupted arrogantly. "From what you have told us and from what we have learned on our own, it is a transceiver. Transponder is a misnomer."

Natalie had a feeling this guy was an engineer and loved to impress people with his 'knowledge'. She rolled her eyes with a sigh and said, "Whatever." Glaring at him, she added, "And just what the hell makes you think I would ever work with you? That's pretty fucking conceited of you people."

"Doctor Grant, please," he said, sitting forward and talking with his hands. "Your transceiver and the other technologies aboard Talyn would be _extremely_ _valuable_ to us. We need those technologies, and you need us to get out of this prison. We know a lot of people, Doctor, and we could get you out."

The way he said that set off warning bells in her head. Why would they need to know people to get her out of prison if she decided to cooperate? They were the government and they were supposed to be able to do whatever they wanted 'under the table' with her, where no one would find out about it. But she thought she just might be wrong.

"You're not with the government at all, are you?" she abruptly asked, leaning back in her chair, crossing her arms again. She was playing a bluff, but she needed to know. He didn't answer her, but the look in his eyes told her he realized he had said too much. She now knew she was right. Shaking her head slightly, she continued, "No, you're not with the government. But you do have a lot of influence with the government. That's the only explanation for you being here. And with the guys who came after me in Virginia and later at IASA and the equipment they had, I'm guessing you're a defense contractor – a pretty large defense contractor."

"You can believe what you wish, Doctor…"

"The government doesn't even know you're doing this, do they?" Natalie interrupted. "With the exception of a few key people, of course." Leaning forward and clasping her hands on the table again, she added suspiciously, "You'll get me out of prison, get me to help you reproduce whatever's on Talyn, maybe even Talyn himself. Then you'll sell it all to the United States Military. Or maybe not the military. Maybe you'll just sell it all to the highest bidder, whoever that may be."

"That's an interesting hypothesis, Doctor, but I'm afraid that's all it is," he backpedaled.

"The only people who say that line are people with something to hide."

"Well," he began, closing his laptop. "You are correct, Doctor Grant. I do have something to hide. So do my superiors. But we all have something to hide, do we not? Besides, what we have to hide will stay hidden."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Natalie asked, worried.

"Take from it what you will, Doctor."

She knew he knew she was going to speak to the media or the government about a defense contractor going behind Uncle Sam's back once she was released from prison. With the way things were going between her lawyers and the District Attorney's office, the possibility that she would be released from prison was pretty high. The only way the 'men in black' would be able to keep their secret was to ensure she never spoke with anyone. The only way to do that was to make sure she stayed in one prison or another, especially since killing her would only raise too many questions.

Glaring at him, she stated, "You son of a bitch. You had my trial fixed, didn't you?"

"As I said before, Doctor," the man in black said, standing up and placing his laptop in his briefcase. "Take from it what you will." Closing his briefcase, he added, "Now, if you will excuse me, I have other tasks I must complete."

"I'm sure you do," Natalie said, standing up and glaring at him as he walked to the door.


	6. Chapter 4

Please refer to the author's notes under 'Disclaimers' before reading this chapter. The notes will explain certain events in this section of the story.

* * *

He stood on the command, his thumbs hooked into his belt, and watched impatiently as the stars zoomed past. Moya was traveling through the vastness of space to the wormhole leading to Earth as fast as she could, but with Natalie, Chiana, and Talyn's lives at stake, it didn't seem fast enough. It hadn't helped that some of Moya's newest passengers constantly bickered with each other and with Moya's 'old crew', despite all that Aeryn, Moya, Pilot, Zhaan, Stark, Crais (John begrudgingly admitted), and he himself had done for the ex-slaves.

Some of the slaves they had rescued along with Jothee from the mining settlement were less than thankful and constantly demanded to be returned to their homes. Things became so bad at one point that John had no other choice but to give in to their demands and delay Moya's journey to Earth for a long stretch of time. But to speed things up, John had dropped them off at commerce planets or other colony worlds as it would have taken cycles to travel to each one of their homes.

At the very least, stopping at commerce planets gave John the chance to find a diagnosan who could help restore the sight in his left eye, and to help with his other 'little' problem. As usual, though, things hadn't worked out exactly as planned.

"How's your eye?" Aeryn said, walking into command.

"It itches," he answered, his voice soft and tired. Resisting the urge to rub it, he added, "It itches and I can barely see out of it."

He felt her come to a stop next to him and lean her body against his. He still found it amazing how much comfort just touching her gave him. Turning to look at her, he saw she wasn't looking into his eyes. Instead, she was looking at them again – looking at the subtle difference in shade between his new eye and his right eye.

She stated, "It was the best match the diagnosan could make. It's not as if there were other humans available to donate an eye to you."

"I know," he said, looking back out the forward portal. "But it still itches."

"And what about you?" Aeryn asked, concern written all over her face.

"I'm all right."

"You don't sound like it, and you really don't look like it," she responded, noticing how pale he still was.

"It's been a long few monens."

"You know what I mean."

He glanced at her, then dipped his head, closing his eyes with a sigh. "I'm starting to 'zone' more often. And the headaches are getting worse."

"Zhaan still has some Zeccan leaf. She might be able to help with the pain if you'll let her."

"No, I'm all right." Looking at her, he added, "I'm getting used to the headaches. I only notice them when they're really bad."

"Just how often are they 'really bad'?"

He didn't say a word and returned his gaze to the portal. His silence confirmed her suspicion. But he didn't like where their conversation was going and decided to keep his mouth shut. He wanted what time they had left to be happy, and he didn't want her to worry about him and 'baby' him. It got to be annoying after a while.

"That's what I thought," she said, turning to look out the forward portal herself. Knowing better than to push him and cause him to shut down again, she changed the subject and said, "Radek isn't going to be happy with you."

"So, he'll be bored for a few solar days. We need someone to wait on this side of the wormhole so we can find our way back." _At least, that was what the information in Natalie's transmission said,_ John mused.

"You're lucky he doesn't just kill you and take the money you owe him."

"No, I'm not lucky. He wants something else from me. That's why he's going to do whatever we ask him to, and that's why he's going to wait for us here even if he doesn't like it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Well… Pretty sure. He wouldn't have done all that he has for us, especially me, if he didn't."

"All that he's done for us?" she asked, amazed. "He betrayed us and nearly got us all killed."

"He had his reasons. And he 'betrayed' us to get close to Ciryn. If he hadn't, Ciryn would've killed me for starting that riot instead of just blinding me in one eye." Looking at her, he added, "He could've let me die. He needs me for something."

With a sigh, Aeryn nodded her head, then turned to look back out into space.

----------------------------------------------------

"Why?" Radek asked in his deep voice as he leaned against the table across from the bed. His sharp teeth showed as he spoke, and his nostrils flared in frustration at the end of his snout.

"Do you really need to ask that after all that you've done?" John answered, standing in the entrance to Radek's quarters. He tried to seem as if he wasn't intimidated, looking into those cold, dark purple, cat-slit eyes, but it was hard not to be when staring at a nine-foot tall sebacean hybrid dressed in black, samurai-like robes, with two swords strapped to his back.

To John, Radek didn't look anything at all like a sebacean and didn't seem to have any sebacean characteristics whatsoever. He looked more like a cross between a jackal and cat. A jackal and a cat with a purple mohawk (tied off in waist-long dreadlocks capped with chromed, razor-sharp, metal cones) topping his canine-like head. The only clues he was part sebacean were that he could only stand upright, as opposed to standing upright and walking on all-fours, and was, according to Radek, smaller than other members of his father's species. Radek wouldn't say what species his father was exactly.

"No, I didn't need to ask," the large alien said, crossing his large arms and balling up his large, slender fists. "I'm just curious."

John tried to study him – to find out what Radek was digging for. But Radek's expression was ice-cold and completely unreadable. The blue veins criss-crossing his extremely pale skin made the 'ice-cold' metaphor all the more apt.

After several microts, John simply said, "I don't trust you."

Standing up, Radek walked, seemingly floated, up to John, his cat-like legs and large, bare feet showing through his sectioned, two layer robes. He said, "Well, I don't trust you."

"You don't trust me?" he asked, trying to keep his expression as neutral as possible. He noticed that Radek calculated all of his moves and thought everything through. John didn't want to give the hybrid the reaction he most likely wanted.

"I've heard stories."

"Don't believe everything you hear," John stated, watching as the 'wheels' spun in Radek's mind.

"How am I supposed to know you'll even return, let alone pay me?" the hybrid asked after several microts.

"I always keep my word."

"I'd rather go with you to make sure you do that."

_Make sure I do that? Is that all?_ John thought to himself. "I won't let you anywhere near my planet."

After several microts, Radek decided, "I'll need some collateral."

"Collateral…" John mumbled. "Of course."

"What can you offer me?" Warning John, he added, "Make sure it's something that will keep me stationary in an unarmed transport pod."

"I thought you were a mercenary, not a merchant."

"I'm both when I have to be."

"All right," John softly said, glad their conversation was over. "I'll talk with the others and see what we can come up with."

----------------------------------------------------

"You're still alive?" Jothee asked as John walked into the command, joining everyone at the strategy table.

"Yeah, I'm still here," he answered, standing next to Aeryn.

"Just telling him you don't trust him actually worked?" Stark asked, astonished, from his seat next to Zhaan.

"No, it didn't work. But he knows we're starting to get suspicious, and that I'm hiding something."

"Everyone knows you're hiding something," Aeryn stated, looking at him and trying to lighten the mood. "You're not a very good liar."

"Thank you. But you try lying about having wormhole info through a jackhammer pounding in your skull."

Coming to Aeryn's 'rescue', Crais said, "Crichton, she did not mean…"

As he closed his eyes to try to concentrate on something other than his headache, he interrupted, "I know what she meant, Crais. She doesn't need 'Daddy' to speak up for her." Realizing what he just said, John opened his eyes and added, "I'm sorry. I'm just…"

"It is all right, John," Zhaan replied. "We understand that you are going through a very difficult time right now. But do not forget, we are here to help you."

John looked at her, thankful for all she had done for him and proud of her that she had come so far in so short of a time after being drugged into the madness. But he didn't like that she reminded him, just like everyone else constantly did, that he didn't have much time. "I know," he finally said, walking away from the table to the console across from it.

"What did Radek say?" Aeryn asked immediately, diverting John's attention.

Turning back to the others, John said, "He wants collateral."

"Collateral?" Crais repeated. "He agreed to your terms then?"

"Yeah, he agreed, but..."

"The collateral," Aeryn finished.

"Yeah."

"So, what do we have that he'll take?" Jothee asked. "I've looked around this ship and there isn't dren here…"

Looking at John, Stark said, "We could pay him some of the fifty-thousand kretmas we still owe him."

Glancing at Jothee, he saw the young hybrid roll his eyes at Stark's suggestion. Before Jothee could say something to upset the already off-balance Stykera, John interrupted and, more politely than Jothee would have, stated, "He won't go for that." He walked back to the table, standing next to Aeryn, and added, "Radek knows that we don't have to come back for the money."

"He wants something more substantial," Aeryn said, finishing John's thought.

"One of us could accompany him," Crais suggested.

"Are you volunteering?" John asked.

"No. You need me to assist with Talyn."

"Crais may be right on both accounts, John," Zhaan stated. Looking at Aeryn, she said, "Aeryn will be joining us if we are forced to go down to Earth." _She won't leave your side,_ the delvian silently added. "She cannot be on Talyn at the same time. And considering what little we have, one of us, besides Crais, must stay with Radek."

"As I said, Crichton, you need me," Crais repeated arrogantly.

"No, we don't. We've spent more time on Talyn than you have. One of us can do it."

"You may have spent more time with Talyn but, with the exception of Officer Sun, can any of you say you know him as well as I do?"

"People change, Crais," Aeryn answered. "Are you sure Talyn is the same as he was when you were captain?"

"Yes, of course."

Letting out a frustrated sigh over Crais and his own growing headache, John acquiesced, "All right. But you're not going alone." Crais might have helped save their lives, but he still didn't trust the ex-captain, especially not where Talyn was concerned and especially after Rygel's disappearance. Crais claimed he died in a cave-in, but there was no way of knowing if that was the truth. Turning to Jothee, he asked, "Can you ask some of your friends to go along with Crais and watch him?"

"Sure," he answered.

"But who will stay with Radek?" Zhaan interrupted, bringing the conversation back to the original topic.

"Good question," John said softly.

"I'll stay," Stark quickly replied.

Shocked, Zhaan turned to her friend, laying her hand on his arm and saying, "Stark…"

"I'll be all right, Zhaan," he interrupted, taking her hand and looking into her eyes. "Unlike you all, I am not wanted by the Peacekeepers. To Radek, all I am is… cargo, just something to ensure you'll come back. He can't turn me in to make a profit."

"He's right, Zhaan," Aeryn stated softly.

"But Stark won't be safe in a transport pod."

"You can thank Crichton for that," Jothee interjected. "He did blow up Radek's ship and all its defenses."

"I said I was sorry," John sighed. "Look, I'm betting Natalie made sure that the place where she opened up the wormhole was relatively safe, so… Stark'll be all right."

Aeryn added, "We'll give you some weapons just in case."

"Thank you," the Banik softly replied.

----------------------------------------------------

John strode into the maintenance bay, duffel bag in hand, to join Aeryn, Stark, Zhaan, and Radek. Coming to a stop beside Aeryn, he handed the bag, full of grenades, ammunition, a pulse rifle, and two pistols, to Stark. "Everything you could ever want to blow something up," he said.

"Not that it will help much if a Peacekeeper vessel comes near this system," Radek stated.

"Then you can blow **yourself** up for all I care," John replied, annoyed.

"No offense," Aeryn added, placing herself between the two.

Radek glared at Aeryn in response, his eyes ice cold.

Stepping away from Radek, John turned toward Stark and Zhaan and said, "At least you won't have to worry about the scarrans or the nebari. But you better get going..."

"Of course," Stark replied, turning to Zhaan.

"Goddess be with you, Stark," she said, taking his hand in hers and laying her other hand on his cheek.

"But in case she's not," John whispered, pulling a syringe from inside his jacket.

As he placed the syringe in Stark's hand, Zhaan whispered, "The sedative should be powerful enough to incapacitate Radek. Just in case."

"Wait," John interrupted. "**Should?** You didn't say 'should' before."

"Yes, **should**, John," she said firmly, anger edging her voice.

Knowing not to push her, he said, "All right." Turning to Stark, he raised his finger and added, "Just be sure Radek can't find that. Oh, and don't shoot yourself with it."

"No, I don't think that would be wise," the Banik replied, stuffing the syringe into his inner coat pocket.

"We're wasting time," Aeryn said.

"We'll see you in a few days," John said, then stepped aside, letting Stark pass to walk with Radek to the waiting transport pod. Glancing at Zhaan, he asked, "You all right?"

"Yes," she answered, dipping her head as the maintenance bay door slid shut.

"You lie worse than I do."

Zhaan couldn't help but smile. Looking at him, she said, "I am worried about his safety, just as you." Seeing the 'I know there's more' look on John's face, she added, "Stark has been at my side for over a cycle, helping me. It will be 'unusual' without him here."

"We know…" he trailed off, wrapping his arm around her and giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Hey," Jothee yelled as he walked into the bay, getting everyone's attention. "I talked to my friends."

As John let go of Zhaan, the three turned to face him, then John asked, "What'd they say?"

"They'll do it as long as you pay them."

"Of course," John replied as he hooked his thumb in his belt and raised his other hand to rub the bridge of his nose, trying to alleviate some of the pain. As Aeryn and Zhaan shared worried glances, John added, "Everyone always wants something."

"It's not like you don't have the money..." Jothee trailed off as Pilot interrupted.

"The transport pod is away," John heard Pilot say from the viewing shell as he listened to the conversation happening around him.

"Take us into the wormhole as soon as it's clear, Pilot," Aeryn instructed.

"Crichton?" John suddenly heard Jothee yell. He let go of his nose and looked up to see Jothee and Aeryn suddenly in front of him, Aeryn's hand on his cheek, with Zhaan behind him, her hands on his arms.

"Crap," John sighed, closing his eyes.

"You 'zoned' again," Aeryn softly said, her thumb stroking his cheek.

"It's not like there's anything you could've done about it," John replied as Zhaan let go of him and backed away with Jothee. "What'd I miss?"

"I said Moya has certain concerns about this journey."

Looking up at Pilot's image, he said, "Don't worry, Pilot. Based on the info Natalie sent us, the wormhole's stable. So Moya'll be fine when she comes out the other end."

"Very well," he responded, not the least bit alleviated. "Prepare for 'insertion'."

"Down the rabbit hole," John whispered, leading everyone out of the bay to command.


	7. Chapter 5

"_You expect me to believe that you killed D'Argo in self defense?" John asked as he monitored the forward left console._

"_No, I don't, Crichton," Crais answered, still in his Peacekeeper Captain's uniform, standing in front of the forward portal and looking out at the starscape with his hands behind his back. Crais had just told the story about what had happened to D'Argo while John was chasing Scorpius in the monastery. It was what John wanted to hear and wasn't necessarily the truth._

"_So, you killed him, but not in self defense?"_

"_No, I did not kill him," he answered exasperatedly._

"_You know, I'm really getting tired of this crap."_

_Turning to face Crichton, Crais said, "I gave you an answer, Crichton. What you believe of that answer is your choice."_

"_Typical," John mumbled._

"_Typical?" Crais asked, walking up to John and invading his personal space._

"_Yeah, Crais, typical," John offhandedly answered, paying hardly any attention to Crais. "You know, no matter how much you say you're no longer part of the Peacekeepers, you always **will** be a Peacekeeper."_

"_Our past experiences have clouded your judgment, **John**. I have changed."_

_Looking coldly at Crais, he said, "No, Crais, our past experiences have cleared my judgment. And don't call me John."_

"_Very well, **Commander** Crichton."_

"_Attention," Pilot interrupted, appearing in the viewing shell. "We are receiving a message from Talyn."_

"_What is the message, Pilot?" Crais quickly asked, walking to the strategy table._

"_He says Doctor Grant has unlocked the data crystal. She has access to all information stored on it and has…" he paused, looking down at his console, his eyes widening out in surprise. "Opened a wormhole to Earth. They're preparing to attach a device to Talyn's hull that will allow them to safely navigate the wormhole. They will be leaving within a half arn."_

"_Pilot, did Talyn send anything else with the message?" Crichton asked, joining Crais at the strategy table._

"_Yes," Pilot answered, checking his console. "They have sent the contents of the crystal on a coded channel. I am decoding now." Suddenly a holo image appeared above the strategy table, showing John and Crais the equations and schematics of the phase stabilizer._

"_Pilot, shut it off!" John yelled, hoping Crais hadn't seen anything he could use._

_----------------------------------------------------_

"_So, you don't think Crais has changed?" Aeryn asked, holding her bowl of soup in her lap in one hand, her spoon in the other, while sitting next to John on the damp, grassy ground._

"_I think he's changed to a point," John answered, gazing around the yard at the hundreds of his, currently, fellow slaves as they ate their lunch and the forest surrounding them._

"_But you don't think he's changed enough to help us now that he's in the position he is?" she asked, taking a sip of her soup._

"_I don't know…"_

"_But?"_

"_But nothing. I just don't know."_

"_He was in the aurora chair and had a neural chip in his brain just like you, John. You've changed… I was in the chair, too, and I've changed…"_

"_Therefore, he's probably changed, too. But one thing that hasn't changed…" he trailed off, taking a sip of his soup, then cringing at its foul taste. "Crais will always do his own thing."_

"_How can you be so sure?"_

"_Because I know him," he softly answered, drinking more of the soup to keep up his strength, disregarding the bad taste._

"_Well, he did find Radek for us. If he hadn't, Radek wouldn't have been here to make a deal and we'd be dead."_

"_Yeah… but we're still slaves."_

"_So much for having changed."_

_John flung his head toward her, gazing at her in astonishment. Seeing the grin on her face, he shook his head and laughed._

_----------------------------------------------------_

_Seeing Jothee and several ex-slaves emerge from one of the smoke filled caves as other ex-slaves escorting captured guards filled his field of view, John called out, "Where are Rygel and Crais?"_

_Running up to John and Aeryn in the yard with pulse rifle in hand, the luxan hybrid dodged other former slaves running about as they chased the remaining guards into the forest, then said, "We saw Ciryn trying to escape. Crais went after her. A few microts later Rygel disappeared."_

"_That frelling slug," Aeryn blurted out over the sound of continuous pulse fire, tightening her grip on her rifle._

"_Which one?" Crichton yelled out nonchalantly as the screech of a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) rang out from the forest, an explosion following with smoke billowing out of the tree line. "What about Radek?"_

"_Last I saw, he was down in the pit. He was getting back his swords." The pit was a massive cavern inside the mine used as common area._

"_Too bad for Gadler," John said sarcastically, thinking about Ciryn's chief administrator skewered on Radek's large samurai-like swords._

"_Too bad?" Jothee asked, chuckling. "He's getting off lucky considering how many people he tinked."_

_Without warning, a sword flew past the group and embedded itself firmly into one of Ciryn's personal guards as he tried to charge at John with knife in hand. The sword killed the guard instantly as the long blade pierced his heart and severed his spinal cord. Noticing the chrome handle, John turned his head to see Radek walking toward them and said, "Speaking of…"_

"_You still haven't paid me," he stated as he walked past Crichton to the dead guard, stepping on the sebacean to keep him on the ground as he pulled out his sword._

Is that all?_John thought._

"_Aeryn, Crichton," Crais called out from behind John over the sound of the pulse fire._

_Turning to face Crais, John asked, "Where's Rygel?"_

"_He is dead."_

"_How?" Aeryn yelled over the screech of another RPG being fired with an explosion and an increased volume of pulse fire following._

"_It was a cave-in," Crais answered. "Rygel appeared out of another tunnel entrance. I do not know why he was there. In the exchange of pulse fire between Ciryn's last few servers and myself in her transport hangar, the blasts caused the entire cavern to collapse. I narrowly escaped myself."_

"_Is that right?" John softly asked._ Or did you kill him for betraying us to Ciryn when we first got here? _he silently added._

"_We must contact Zhaan and Stark on Moya immediately to retrieve us," Crais continued. "Ciryn has many allies. They will undoubtedly come to her aid now that they have lost contact with her."_

"_He's right," Jothee said. "Her family's house was one of the most powerful on Sebacea before the Peacekeepers took over."_

"_Then let's round everyone up and get outta Dodge," John said._

_

* * *

_

"What are you thinking?" he heard Aeryn ask, bringing his mind back to the present.

His eyes still closed, John leaned against her as she stood next to him and answered softly, "If what we're doing is the right thing."

"Which part?"

"Crais and Talyn."

"Mmmmm…"

Opening his eyes, John gazed out the forward portal as he stood in the center of command with Zhaan and Jothee at the consoles in front of him. He continued, "I'm not so sure handing Talyn back over to him is such a good idea."

"It's the only idea we have."

"I'd rather you be there to look after him with all that firepower."

"You need me on Earth. If we have to go into hiding, the only people who will be able to move around with any freedom will be sebaceans. You'll surely be instantly recognized in public."

"No choice, huh?"

"None."

"Well, we'll have time before we have to go down to the surface, and we need to go over to Talyn anyway…"

"To get the spare transponder for Natalie."

"Exactly," John said, turning his head to look at Aeryn. "And as long as we're there we might as well give some suggestions to Talyn."

"John," Zhaan interrupted, gaining Crichton's and Aeryn's attention. "Look," she added, smiling, then turned to look out the forward portal.

Looking up, John could see in the distance the place he had dreamed of seeing again for so long. It was an amazing sight, Earth hanging there in the emptiness of space with the moon slowly orbiting. If he had only come home under different circumstances could he enjoy seeing it again. Unfortunately, as Talyn's message had said, Natalie had been arrested and Chiana was in hiding with his father. He didn't particularly want to think about what Chiana and his dad were doing together. He knew Chiana would've gotten bored very fast being stuck in that house. But at least she was safe, unlike Natalie.

Suddenly feeling Aeryn's arm slide around him, John pulled her into a tight hug, both their eyes on the bright blue orb.

"Talyn is signaling!" Pilot suddenly yelled, his image appearing in the viewing shell.

"What is he saying, Pilot?" Zhaan asked, walking up to the strategy table as John and Aeryn separated themselves and joined Zhaan and Jothee.

"He is telling Moya that Dr. Grant is still incarcerated in the… North San Jacinto Detention Center in the Houston ,area. He also says…"

"What is it, Pilot?" John asked, noting the concern and fear he heard in the symbiant's voice as he trailed off.

"He also says that Chiana has been captured by the United States military," he stated softly. "It happened one solar day ago. He does not know where they are holding her."

"One solar day," John sighed, chewing on the end of his thumb and turning to look out the portal at Earth. If they hadn't spent so much time on each planet at which they stopped, they could've arrived before the military found out Chiana was staying with his father.

"Great," Jothee blurted out. "Now we have to rescue both of them? We're frelled!"

"**Why** are we 'frelled'?" Crais asked, walking into command.

"Talyn just contacted Moya," Aeryn answered. "He said Chiana's been captured, but he doesn't know where they're keeping her prisoner."

"That is unfortunate."

"To hell with you, Crais," John said, still gazing at his home planet.

"All I am saying, Crichton," Crais began, walking up to stand behind John, his hands behind his back, "is that we cannot possibly rescue both Chiana and Grant. We do not have the resources or the personnel. We are now forced to leave one of them behind. Chiana will have to be that person."

"No," John yelled, turning toe-to-toe with Crais.

"We have no choice. We do not know Chiana's current location, however we do know of Grant's."

"I said no, Crais," John replied, his jaw set in determination. He noticed Aeryn move to stand behind Crais in case something happened, then added, "We're going to get both of them back. I won't leave either one of them behind."

"You may feel that way, but I doubt the others on this ship do. They may not wish to follow your plan. And you are not Captain here. You cannot order them to do anything they do not wish to do."

"Actually, we do, Crais," Zhaan stated firmly as she came to stand behind John, determination exuding from her stance. "We will not leave either of them behind."

"And the others will do anything Crichton asks them to do," Jothee added, crossing his arms over his over his chest just like his father. "He got them out of that dren-hole and most of them want to pay him back for that."

"Looks like you're SOL, Crais," John said, hooking his thumbs into his belt. He knew Crais had absolutely no idea what SOL meant and that the ex-Captain wasn't going to admit to it, but at this point John didn't care. He wasn't going to put up with Crais' crap.

"Very well." Stepping back from Crichton, silently conceding, Crais added, "This _is_ your decision."

"Pilot, why have we stopped?" Aeryn suddenly asked, looking out the forward portal, then turning to look at Pilot's image in the shell.

"Talyn has requested that we come no further."

"Why, Pilot?" Zhaan asked.

"He tells Moya that the various militaries of Earth constantly surveil him as they have deemed him a threat, and he believes that Moya's sudden appearance will only alarm them further and cause them to panic."

"Now what?" Jothee asked, hoping Crichton had a plan.

"We could use a transport pod on a stealth trajectory to board Talyn," Crais suggested. "The likelihood they would see us would be slim."

"Don't count on it, Crais," John said. "Earth's technology is nothing like Peacekeeper. They'll see us, even if we use a stealth trajectory. And when they see us, they'll freak; and when they freak, who knows what they might do."

"Don't you know your own people, Crichton?" Crais asked.

"I did. I've been away for a while," John answered softly. He then stood silently, gazing at Earth, trying to think through the pain as the others continued to discuss their options around him. After several microts he thought, _Our plans never work, anyway, but it's all we've got._

"Pilot," he said, interrupting everyone's conversations and gaining their attention. "As soon as the moon passes again in a few arns, take us in. We'll use it as cover to get us in close."

"Then what?" Aeryn asked, sidling up next to him.

"We'll contact someone on Earth we can trust, let 'em know we're here, and make sure they do what they can to keep us hidden while we board Talyn, and then try to hack into their computers and find out where Chi is."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Jothee asked. "If we let them know we're here, they just might try to shoot us down anyway."

"They can't, not with the moon in the way. Besides, it's all we've got."

"Excuse me," Pilot interrupted softly.

"What is it, Pilot?" Aeryn asked.

"As you all have been discussing our next course of action, Moya has told Talyn that you wish to board him..."

"And?"

"He doesn't want any of you to come near him."

"He what?" John blurted out, looking at Aeryn, then Zhaan, seeing the concerned, questioning looks on both their faces.

"Why does he not want us to approach?" Crais asked.

"He… does not trust you."

"He doesn't trust **us**?" Aeryn repeated, letting out an astonished huff.

"Yes," Pilot answered.

"Why does he not trust us, Pilot?" Zhaan asked.

"He does not say."

"Maybe he doesn't have to," John said, staring at Crais. He still remembered Natalie's reaction to first seeing Crais after D'Argo's death. That was nearly fourteen monens ago, and who knew how much further their feelings about Crais might've developed in that time.

Crais momentarily glared at Crichton, then suddenly turned his attention back to Pilot. "Pilot, let me speak with Talyn."

"I shall relay your request to Moya," Pilot responded. After several microts, Pilot said, "**Both** Moya and Talyn have agreed to your request, Captain. You may speak whenever you wish."

"Talyn," Crais began, "you must allow us onboard. All we wish is to help you – to guide you and assist in maintaining your systems while Grant is on the surface. We also need to retrieve Grant's spare transponder. Undoubtedly, the authorities have confiscated her primary transponder."

"He's right, Talyn," Aeryn interrupted. "We need your help as much as you need ours during this time. Please, you have to let us board. It's what Natalie would want." With no response, Aeryn added, "Talyn, please."

"Pilot?" Crais asked.

"No response yet," Pilot answered.

Leaning in to Aeryn, John asked, "Do you think he'll do it? Let us board?"

"I don't know," she answered. "It's been over a cycle since I last saw him…"

"Mmmmm…"

"Talyn has responded," Pilot announced suddenly. "He says he will allow you to board."

To John, everyone seemed to let out a sigh of relief, even the stoic Crais. He said, "Let him know we'll come over in a few arns, Pilot."


	8. Chapter 6

Looking out his office window as he sat on the edge of his desk, Jack gazed out into the morning sky. This was one of the times of day that he loved the most. The sun rising over the horizon was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen. But he couldn't keep his mind off of what happened a day ago. He wondered how Chiana was doing, and how his actions would affect those he cared about. The government knew he'd been hiding Chiana, and surely his superiors at IASA knew by now, as well. But they had done nothing yet – not to him, nor his children and their families. He wasn't sure if he should be worried or not.

Maybe he was just being paranoid. With all the markers, friends, and allies, not to mention the uproar that could arise if word got out that a national hero hid an alien, perhaps someone higher up thought it would be for the best that no one said a word about Chiana. Jack certainly hoped that was the case, especially for the rest of family. While Olivia and DK may have known Chiana was with him, none of them had been involved in his decision to help Natalie and Chiana by hiding the young gray nebari. But, he had to admit, anything could happen.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the small red triangular comms that Natalie had given him and stared at it. Sitting in the palm of his hand was proof that anything could happen. He ran his thumb over the surface of the device, thinking it could pass for calloused skin. And to think, just a little over seven months ago there'd been no proof that Earth wasn't alone in the universe. Then, just over six months ago, their proof appeared in Earth's 'backyard', and Jack found out that his son wasn't dead after all. Later, Natalie was arrested and he found himself in the middle of a possible conspiracy and cover-up.

What made things worse was that he now found himself in the middle of another conspiracy. He knew Natalie was planning to break out of jail. He was going to do whatever he could to help her, too. That made him an accomplice, and if they were caught he would go to jail as well. At least, if he were imprisoned, he had friends who could protect his daughters, his son-in-law, and his grandson.

Frustrated with the situation, Jack looked back out the window at the IASA compound and mumbled, "Where are you, John?"

"That's a good question," Jack heard from behind him.

Turning around and closing his fist around the comms to hide it, he saw his son's best friend standing in the doorway. Jack smiled and asked, "DK, how long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to see you brooding," DK answered, walking into the office and around the desk to sit down next to Jack. "Of course, that's all you seem to ever do anymore."

"I've just got a lot on my mind," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Want to talk about it?"

Jack looked at DK, his eyebrows raised, silently asking DK if he was serious.

"Stupid question, I know. But sometimes talking helps."

"Well not now, DK. I need to think and talking won't help."

"Talking won't help? What do you think we're doing now?"

Jack gave DK an annoyed look and turned to look back out the window. He dipped his head, looking down at the floor, then sighed and said, "I appreciate what you're trying to do, DK, but right now I've got things I need to think about."

"Well, I hate to put more on your mind, sir, but some of the 'guys' asked me to talk to you."

"Some of the 'guys'?" Jack asked curiously, eyeing DK. "Which 'guys' and what do they want?"

"They want to remain anonymous."

"All right. So, what do they want?"

"They want you to lighten up."

"Excuse me?" Jack blurted out, astonished.

"Frankly, Jack, you've been making working here a living Hell for some people. Like I said, all you ever do is brood and you've been pretty 'snippy' to everyone ever since Natalie was arrested. You've been even worse since Chiana got caught."

"Like I said, DK…"

"You've got a lot on your mind. Yeah, we know. But can't you have a lot on your mind and lighten up at the same time? If you don't we just might lose a lot of good people."

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked, concerned.

Keeping his voice down, DK answered, "Some corporation's been going around for the past few months, offering our people a lot of money to come work for them. None of them have responded yet because they're loyal to IASA, but if you keep this up, Jack, we just might lose some of them."

With a worried sigh, Jack turned to look back out the window. It couldn't have been a coincidence, this company asking IASA employees to come work for them after Natalie came back to Earth. When Natalie was arrested, she'd been forced to leave a lot of technology on Earth, including both her prowlers. Jack never did find out what happened to those two ships.

Turning back to DK, he asked, "Which corporation?"

"Excuse me?" DK asked, having been preoccupied with looking out the window with Jack.

"Which corporation has been going around trying to get our people to go over to their side?"

"They didn't give out their name. But the guys I talked with said that the people who talked to them were dressed in black suits and threatened them if they talked to anyone about the job offers."

"Black suits?"

"That's right."

"One of the people who kidnapped Natalie a few months ago was dressed in a black suit and threatened her with all sorts of stuff…"

"You're kidding"

"I wish I was. But now we have our answer… They've got some of the technology Natalie brought with her, and now they're looking for people to help out with that technology."

"Well, if they're looking for people to work for them, I'm surprised they haven't gone after Natalie herself."

"Who says they haven't? For all we know they have and she told them to 'shove it'."

"Then why wouldn't she tell us?"

"She doesn't want to worry us," Jack answered, looking back out the window. "Even when I see her, I can tell she isn't telling half of what's going on. Not that she shouldn't, but I know she's holding back some things."

"Did she tell you how long it would take for John to get here?"

Jack let out a nervous chuckle and replied, "No, she didn't." Sobering, he added, "But she did say that she couldn't be sure Moya even received the message."

"Well, why don't you use the comms she gave you and see who's out there?"

Uncrossing his arms, Jack opened his fist and showed DK the red comms, sighed, and said, "It doesn't work that way. I wish it did, though."

"Why not?"

"There has to be someone in range, and the comms can only be used to talk with others with the same comms on or around the leviathan that grew them."

"So, it ain't like Star Trek, huh?"

"Not one bit."

"But I thought I saw Chiana with a different comms than Natalie. It was black and shaped like an elongated octagon, wasn't it?"

"Yeah…" Jack chuckled. "Despite all their technology, the Peacekeepers still screwed up." Seeing the questioning look on DK's face, Jack continued, "Natalie told me that the Peacekeepers didn't get a lot of the little details on Talyn right. So, Talyn's comms come in three colors, silver being the other, and two shapes."

"That's why Talyn produces two different kinds of DRD's..."

"He what?" Jack asked curiously.

"Yeah," DK began, "one looks like a… lady bug is the best thing I can come up with. The other looks like a pancake with a tower sticking up from the center of its back. Its head is at the top of that tower between two shields that also hold different kinds of tools."

"It must be pretty interesting living up there for months on end."

"Well, I was only up there on Talyn for a few weeks and it was the best time of my life."

"What about when you and Linda got together?" Jack asked, a grin on his face.

As Jack realized what he just said, DK stood up and, walking to the door, softly said, "I think I'd better get back to work."

"DK, I'm sorry," Jack said sorrowfully as DK walked to the door.

"It's all right, Colonel," he replied, then walked down out the door.

Looking back down at the comms with a sigh, he placed it on his desk, then turned around and sat in his chair, dreading the paperwork he needed to get through. The one thing he hated about being flight director was sitting behind a desk, shuffling papers. The saying that the worst thing you could do to a pilot was to put him behind a desk was true.

Leaning back in his chair, he picked up the comms up again and ran his thumb over it. "What the hell," he mumbled, activating the comms. He realized he was procrastinating, but he hated paperwork. He said, "Can anyone hear me out there?"

"Dad?" Jack suddenly heard.

The voice sounded like John's. A look of astonishment and hope crossed his face and he said, "John? Is that you?"

"Yeah, Dad, it's me," came the response.

"I just got here."

"But how? You're not on Talyn, are you?"

"No, I'm on Moya," John responded cautiously. "Talyn's relaying your signal to us."

John sounded as if he wasn't sure if he could trust him. Before John could say anything else, he said, "Look, John, if you've been talking with Talyn, then you'd know that I've been helping Natalie and Chiana and that I never turned on any of you. Just ask him." The comms channel unexpectedly closed, and Jack shouted, "John?"

They were probably talking with Talyn and confirming what he just said. But he didn't understand why Talyn didn't tell them about everything that happened straight off the bat.

The comms channel suddenly reopened after several minutes and John shakily said, "Dad?"

Jack heard the joy and grief in his son's voice and could almost see his smile. Jack wished he could've been up there with him to see and hear John in person. But Natalie and Chiana needed their help. They didn't have time for a 'happy reunion'. Hoping John would understand, he said, "It's me, son. But, John, how much do you know about what's going on down here?"

After a short pause, John softly said, "Talyn just now filled us in everything, so we pretty much know everything you know. So, what's the plan?"

Jack smiled, realizing John was on the wavelength. He answered, "Break Natalie out of jail, find Chiana and break her out, then we all get off this planet, including Natalie's family… and me."

"Dad…"

"Don't argue, John," Jack interrupted, determined. "I'm already in this neck-deep and I'm going to see this through to the end, even if it means having to leave Earth."

"What about Liv? And Susan? Frank, Bobby?"

"Stop it, John," Jack responded, knowing his son was trying to guilt trip him. "We don't have time for this."

"I'm not going to let you put them in harm's way, Jack."

Jack rolled his eyes at John calling him by his first name. John had a tendency to do that when he was angry with him. It got to be annoying after awhile.

"Don't roll your eyes at me," John said.

"Dammit, John," Jack nearly shouted, hating how they had a similar version of this conversation every time they disagreed. Realizing his door was still open, he lowered his voice and continued, "Stop being stubborn."

"**You** are accusing **me** of being stubborn?"

"John, we don't have time for this…"

"All right," he interrupted, "we don't have time for this, so stop being stubborn."

"John, stop it. All I'm going to say is that both Olivia and DK are involved in this, too, and Susan, Bobby, and Frank will never know. I've got friends and they'll protect them. But for now, we don't have time to argue. We've got problems down here and we need to work on a plan. So, where are you?"

"We've got Moya hidden behind the far side of the moon," John answered, acquiescing. "She should be safe here."

"Where on the far side of the moon, John?" Jack asked worriedly.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Don't ask questions, John, just tell me where you are," Jack nearly yelled.

"We're 200 miles south of the north pole," John answered quickly.

"Dammit," Jack sighed.

"What's wrong, Dad?"

"Two months ago, the Air Force launched the Wadjet Eye System. It's an early warning system that involves multiple remote controlled tracking stations placed at strategic locations on the moon along with multiple satellites in Earth orbit. There are several more tracking stations on their way to points in the solar system as we speak. All installations and satellites are linked together, so line of sight doesn't factor into the situation. All telemetry is sent directly to Vandenberg."

"So, they already know we're here."

"I'm afraid so."

----------------------------------------------------

Inside Vandenberg's Space Command Wadjet Eye Control Center, First Lieutenant Parker Carrey sat at his station in the underground bunker located near the air base's Combat Information Center. Currently, the Lieutenant monitored the leviathan named Talyn as it passed within his sector of space. He was their main concern as he was a massive platform for multiple weapons that could level every major city in the U.S.

Lieutenant Carrey impatiently checked the clock again as he waited for his partner, First Lieutenant Scott Buchman, to arrive. There were always twelve Air Force personnel on duty inside the control center, two men to a station, and the second man at his station was ten minutes late.

As the massive steel door at the right side of the room suddenly opened, Carrey snapped his head in the direction of the door and watched as Buchman strolled inside, closing the door behind him. He kept his eyes on his tardy counterpart, trying to look as calm as possible as the lieutenant sat down at his station. He greeted, "Scott."

As Buchman monitored his console, he returned, "Parker."

"Problems, Scott?" he asked, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms.

"Nope."

"You sure? Is there anything you need help with?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Are you absolutely positive?"

"Yeah, I'm positive," he answered, looking at Carrey quizzically. "What's with the interrogation?"

"Well, this **is** the third time you've been late for your shift in the past week."

"Then why don't you try taking care of my pregnant wife and see how late you are?" he replied, then turned back to his station.

"She's pregnant?" Carrey blurted out, leaning forward in his chair. "How'd that happen?"

"Well, we had some wine, got naked…"

"I know how," he interrupted, raising his hand and closing his eyes. "But I thought you weren't trying to have kids?"

"We weren't. It just happened."

"Well, congratulations."

"Thanks."

Seeing that the conversation was over, Carrey turned back to his console. He was proud of what he did; he was the first line of defense. But he had to admit that it could be pretty boring at times. "So, did you see Enterprise last night?" he asked, trying to keep his mind off the boredom. It was a subject that could help pass the time, but wouldn't take their minds off their duties.

"**You** of all people actually watch that crap?"

"Well, it's like watching a wreck – you can't help but look."

"Well, why don't you watch Stargate instead? It's a helluva lot better."

"Right, I'm going to watch something on a network that cancels every decent show it has."

Suddenly, every warning light went off in the control center. Checking their scopes, they saw that a large object had entered orbit behind the moon. Carrey ordered, "Activate cameras fourteen through nineteen."

"Right," Buchman responded, typing commands into his console.

As Buchman activated the specified cameras, Carrey picked up a phone which was a direct link to their commanding officer's office. He said, "Sir, we're tracking a bogey in lunar orbit."

"Do you have visual?" Major Thomas Martin replied.

"Not yet, sir, but we're working on it," he replied as several camera angles appeared in monitors above the console in front of him. "Pan up," he instructed his counterpart.

"Panning up," Buchman replied.

Seeing the object hanging there in space, Carrey's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. He managed to collect himself in short order, then said, "Sir, from descriptions Dr. Natalie Grant gave, the object appears to be a leviathan. I'd venture to guess that the ship is Moya."

"Stay on it, Lieutenant," Martin replied, then hung up to contact his superiors.

Carrey hung up the receiver, then sat back in his chair, his eyes fixed on the images on the monitors in front of him. He said, "Can you believe this?"

"Mmhmm," he muttered. "And Patti's going to be pissed when she finds out I'm going to be late again tonight."


	9. Chapter 7

"Frell," Aeryn sighed, listening to the conversation John and his father were having.

If John's people already knew they were there, then that changed everything. They no longer had the element of surprise, which meant they could no longer quietly retrieve Natalie and Chiana and leave with no casualties. Earth's military would undoubtedly be on high alert and would most likely try to shoot down any ship entering the atmosphere without authorization. No, humans didn't have technology that was anywhere close to what they had on Moya, but they had only one Marauder and three Prowlers. That wasn't enough to rescue two people being held in maximum security facilities.

Watching John sit down tiredly at the strategy table, she heard to him say, "How did they get everything up and running so fast anyway?"

"You'd be amazed at what frightened government officials and military personnel are capable of," Jack responded. "You wouldn't believe how scared some people were when Talyn arrived."

"They were frightened of a scientist and a trelk?" Aeryn asked, an incredulous grin on her face.

"Was that Aeryn?" she heard Jack ask over the comms.

"Uh, yes," she stammered in surprise. She wasn't expecting John's father to know who she was. Although, she had to admit that it always had been a possibility that Natalie and Chiana had told all of Earth everything about them already.

"Well, they weren't so much afraid of them, but of what they represented."

"That life did exist 'out there'," John added.

"Unfortunately, yes," Jack responded.

"I figured as much."

Aeryn could see in John's eyes that he was thinking about the incident with the Ancients and what they'd all been through. It appeared that John's worst fears were coming true.

"Look, John, I'm going to need to go soon," Jack said. "Now that the military knows you're here, they're probably going to call on IASA, especially me, to 'help' soon. They can't know I've already been in contact with you."

"All right, Dad," John replied. "We'll call you back later so you can fill us in on what's going on down there, and to figure out what we're going to do about Natalie and Chi."

"Bye, Son," Jack quickly said, the comms channel closing immediately afterward.

"Bye, Dad," John mumbled, then sighed.

Aeryn could tell John didn't like the situation one bit. He didn't want to have to put his father and his sister in jeopardy, but they didn't have a choice since Jack and Liv (as she heard John call her) were already involved. She sat down sideways on the stool beside him, and suggested softly, "If they already know we're here, there's no point in hiding."

"Yeah, there's no point."

"Zhaan?" Aeryn softly asked, looking at the Delvian seated at the head of the table. Zhaan nodded in response, then asked Pilot to take them into Earth orbit. As Zhaan instructed Pilot, Aeryn took John's hand in hers and said, "They'll be all right."

"I'm not so sure."

"Your father's a hero on your planet, isn't he? Your people can't be likely to imprison a hero or his family."

"Humans are funny that way." Looking at her, he continued, "We want to see our heroes fail."

"So, essentially we're frelled?"

"Pretty much."

"That's nothing new," she stated deadpan, then watched a small smile grow on John's face.

"No, it's not," he answered, giving her hand a squeeze. "This might actually work."

"Our plans usually do somehow," she said, smiling back at him.

"So, what is the plan?" Jothee asked from the end of the strategy table.

Suddenly, John cringed and let out a painful groan. His eyes fluttered shut as he dipped his head, raising his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. Aeryn immediately scooted forward to the edge of her seat, her hand still gripping his as she raised her other hand to his cheek. She worriedly asked, "John, are you okay?"

"It was only a question," Jothee said.

Aeryn flung her head around to glare at the young Luxan, then turned her attention back to John as Zhaan came up to him, kneeling on the floor next to him. The priestess asked, "John, are you all right?"

"That's kind of a stupid question," he mumbled through gritted teeth.

"Just answer the frelling question," Aeryn stated.

"My head feels like someone's pounding it up against a wall," he answered, nearly toppling over in pain.

Aeryn and Zhaan managed to catch him as Jothee ran over to help in some way. They straightened John up and Aeryn nodded to Zhaan. The Delvian reached into one of the folds of her robe and pulled out a small vial. She removed the cap, held it in front of John's mouth, and ordered, "Drink this."

"John, drink it," Aeryn said. "It will help with the pain."

John nodded his head, letting go of the bridge of his nose to take the vial from Zhaan, then downed the potion. Almost immediately, Aeryn could see the relief in John's face as he handed the vial back to Zhaan. She asked, "Better?"

"Yeah," he answered. He kept his eyes closed, still feeling some pain and said, "That was the worst I've had yet."

"We should find a diagnosan immediately, John," Zhaan suggested. "I can alleviate the pain, but I am not skilled enough to cure you."

Opening his eyes, he looked at Zhaan and stated, "After we get Natalie and Chiana back. We're not leaving without them."

"Of course," Zhaan said softly.

Aeryn shared a knowing look with her Delvian friend; John could be very stubborn at times. All she could do – all any of them could do – was hope that they would be able to rescue their two imprisoned friends in short order. But things never went the way they hoped or expected.

Suddenly, John cringed again and shuddered. Aeryn gripped his hand tighter as Zhaan cupped the back of his neck in her hand and asked, "Is the headache back?"

"No," he shuddered. "I've got this horrible aftertaste in my mouth."

Both Aeryn and Zhaan let out sighs, but Aeryn's was more of annoyance than relief.

"What did you put in that stuff anyway?" John groaned.

As Zhaan stood, her hand still at the back of John's neck and a smile on her face, she said, "I believe you would be better off not knowing."

"Ignorance is bliss, as you say," Aeryn said, concern still in her eyes. She couldn't help but be concerned about him; she cared too much about him not to. She wanted to do whatever it took to protect him and keep him safe. But she understood that other lives were at stake, as well. So, they had to time this just right.

"In that case," John sighed, turning to rest his forehead against Aeryn's, "I won't ask again."

Silence filled the command for a short period of time as the massive Leviathan entered Earth orbit, broken only by the steady humming and pulsing of Moya's systems. But the only thing that Aeryn could hear was the sound of John's calming breathing. He had that effect on her. Unfortunately, Jothee had an effect on her, as well. He was much like Chiana had been when they'd first brought her on board Moya, and he annoyed the dren out of her. She had to admit, though, he did have some redeeming qualities. His bad timing made it difficult to see that at times.

He said, "If you two are finished, we're coming up on Talyn."

The two separated and shared an irritated look and sigh. They turned toward the forward portal and saw Talyn's tail several metras in front of them. She said, "We'd better get ready."

"Right," John replied. "I'll go round up Crais, and you and Jothee go round up the guys who are going with him."

"I'll meet you in the maintenance bay."

----------------------------------------------------

"Welcome to Talyn," John announced as he led Aeryn, Crais, Jothee, and their 'entourage', consisting of two dozen different species and genders with all of their 'gear', down the transport pod ramp to the deck of docking bay one. When it came to Crais and Talyn, John wanted to cover all his bases. He also figured it would be a good idea not to put all his eggs in one basket, so he managed to convince several of the slaves they had rescued to come with them to Talyn, and to keep an eye on Crais.

"Who in the hezmana named him Talyn, anyway?" Jothee asked as everyone gathered in the docking bay.

"I did," Aeryn answered, remembering having a similar conversation little more than two cycles before. Looking calmly at Jothee, she added, "I named him after my father."

"Peacekeeper ship, Peacekeeper name," the hybrid mumbled.

"Crais," John intervened, "Why don't you go up to the bridge? And take Jothee with you."

"Of course," Crais responded, nodding once, and walked to the maintenance bay and to the hatch inside it leading to the myriad of corridors inside the ship.

"Thanks a lot, Crichton," Jothee griped, following Crais to the maintenance bay.

"Ah, kids," John sighed. Turning to Aeryn, John asked, "Why don't you help the others find some quarters once you all get all the gear and currency unloaded?"

"Sure," she answered with a nod. "What about you?"

"I'm gonna see if I can find Natalie's transponder."

"Talyn did say he'd show you where it is."

"Yeah…"

"What? You don't trust him?"

"No, I trust him. I'm just worried he'll be more preoccupied with Crais."

"You think Crais will do something Talyn won't like?"

"One can only hope." Glancing at the others standing off to the side, waiting, John said, "You'd better get going. They look like they're starting to get antsy."

"Right."

"Right," John repeated, giving Aeryn's arm a squeeze, then turned toward the maintenance bay.

----------------------------------------------------

Palming the door sensor to his left, John stepped through the hatch into Natalie's quarters as it slid open. He came to a halt, though, and nearly did a double take. There were clothes, bottles, food trays, papers, vid-chips, and data chips strewn all over the room. As he walked around the strategy table, he mumbled, "I guess you never get maid service up here."

He walked around the room, being careful not to step on anything, and saw a DRD sitting on top of a nightstand in the bedroom, apparently waiting for him. Walking into the bedroom, he sat down on the bed next to the nightstand and said, "You here to help me get Nat's transponder?"

The DRD nodded once with a squeak in response.

"So, where is it?"

The DRD looked down at the nightstand.

"In here?" Receiving another squeak, John opened the top drawer and peered inside. Looking back at the DRD, he asked, "So where is it?"

John watched as an arm emerged from the body of the DRD and lowered a welding torch to the lockbox inside the drawer. The small robot activated the torch and began cutting through the locking mechanism on the box. After a few microts, John watched as the locking mechanism fell into the box with a muffled 'clank'.

"Thanks," he said, reaching into the drawer as the DRD retracted its arm. He pulled out the box, set it in his lap, and opened it. Inside, under the severed locking mechanism, which he promptly removed, was the mission patch that Natalie had managed to save from the clothes with which she came on board Moya, which had been destroyed by the Leviathan's iriscentent fluid. The patch was practically all that was left. It was in the shape of the space shuttle and at the bottom was the mission number 'STS 94'. Around the outer edge of the shuttle were the last names of Natalie's crew. On the trailing edge of the left wing was the name of the man who had tried to kidnap him: McDaniel. On the opposite trailing edge was the name Twombly, and along the leading edges of both wings were the names Johansen, Porter, Jarrett, and Grant.

John had known Johansen and Porter. Seeing their corpses along with the bodies of the other astronauts inside the shuttle cockpit had been difficult to bear. Both Johansen and Porter had families, and Porter had two grandchildren. He knew the others had families, as well, but Natalie had never said a word about any of them. She had trained with them for so long that John was sure she had taken their deaths especially hard. She hadn't shown it, but he knew her, and knew their deaths had affected her deeply.

Setting the mission patch aside, John saw Natalie's transponder in the lower left corner of the box. Picking it up, he noticed the long spike protruding from the back of it. He couldn't imagine sticking the device into the back of anyone's neck. He also noticed that the device was deactivated. Looking at the DRD, he asked, "So, how do I get this thing to work?"

The DRD activated a laser pointer on its head and aimed it at a button in the center of the transponder. John pressed the button and the transponder came to life, its four lights blinking in succession. John shut off the transponder by pressing the button again, then placed it inside the pouch on his belt.

He looked into the lockbox again and saw the tape recorder and mini-cassettes he had given Natalie a short while after she arrived. Tracing his fingers over the worn IASA emblem, he remembered how he had wanted to help her adjust to her new life aboard Moya. He hoped it had helped her out during her first few weeks on Moya.

John could help but be curious if it had worked. He laid his thumb experimentally on the 'play' button, but he couldn't listen in on someone else's private, and most likely personal, conversation. He remembered his own conversations with his father. They were very personal and he wouldn't have wanted anyone listening in on them. He set the tape recorder back in the lockbox, then shut the box and set it back in the drawer, closing it.

As he stood up, he tried to think of what else Natalie would need when they eventually broke her out of prison. Looking around the room, he paid particular attention to all the clothes and thought that she would most likely need something else to wear besides the orange or white jumpsuit he was sure they put her in. But they wouldn't have time to stop for her to change. Although, one thing he was sure she'd need were shoes. He doubted the prison system would let her keep her old boots.

Calling out, he asked, "Hey, Talyn, did Natalie have an extra pair of boots?" Hearing the DRD squeaking, he looked down at it, still on the nightstand, and saw it shake its head. "Didn't think so."

Carefully walking through the mess on the floor, John made his way to the hatch, then turned around to take another look at Natalie's quarters. Shaking his head, he walked out and mumbled, "And I thought I was messy."

----------------------------------------------------

Closing his eyes, Crais reveled in his surroundings. He was back where he belonged – on the bridge of Talyn. But he hated that he was no longer in command. He hated even more so that Talyn no longer trusted him. Talyn would not even listen to him when he tried to explain that Scorpius had implanted a neural chip in his mind and he had not been in control. It was almost as if Talyn were becoming like Crichton and Grant. That thought disturbed him in a way. If Talyn could become like Grant, now that the two were joined, then how would the troubled gunship have turned out if _he_ were still in command.

"Crais," the ex-captain suddenly heard Crichton say from behind as he walked onto the bridge. The human had impeccable timing.

Turning, Crais watched Crichton as he passed Jothee, who stood against the central hammond side pylon, and came to stand at the hammond side override console. "Checking up on me?" he asked.

Crichton checked a readout of Earth's military activities on the console, then turned to Jothee and said, "Why don't you go on and get outta here? Try to get some decent quarters if you can."

"It's about frelling time," Jothee mumbled, uncrossing his arms and turning to walk off the bridge, the hatch closing behind him.

Crais knew why Crichton was there. The human was there to make sure he 'behaved'. But if Crichton wanted to play his little game, Crais was more than happy to accommodate him. He had all the time in the universe, unlike the man who stood before him.

Walking up to Crichton, his hands behind his back, Crais intruded upon his personal space and asked, "Is there something I can help you with, Commander?"

"Nope," Crichton answered, crossing his arms and leaning back against the console.

"Then, is there something you want?"

"No," he answered, shaking his head.

"When will you learn, Crichton, that I will not do anything to jeopardize your safety, or the safety of anyone else onboard Moya?"

"That's something I will never learn, Crais, because it will never be on the curriculum."

"And why is that?"

"Your track record speaks for itself."

"Out of curiosity, just what would it take for me to earn your trust?" He didn't think even Crichton himself knew the _exact_ answer to that question.

Crichton remained silent for several microts and looked off into the middle distance as he contemplated his answer. Finally, he said, "Well, for starters, why don't you tell me what really happened to Rygel."

_Cautiously jogging through the smoke filled cave, a pulse rifle in one hand and a pulse pistol in the other, Crais tried to follow Ciryn and the last few members of her personal guard who were still alive. Fortunately, the Sebacean woman and her guards couldn't keep quiet. Their voices echoed throughout the cave and allowed Crais to track them._

_Through the haze of the exploded makeshift smoke bombs, he could see bright lights ahead of him and increased his pace, knowing that a hangar wasn't too far away. Coming up to the entrance to the underground hangar, Crais slowed down, then knelt and hid behind an outcrop of rock along the bottom of the opening. He watched as Ciryn and three of her bodyguards walked to her waiting ship. She ordered the other five to secure the hangar and ensure her escape._

_Readying his weapons, Crais took careful aim at the three bodyguards surrounding Ciryn, then fired three shots, killing all three and leaving Ciryn vulnerable. The remaining five scrambled to Ciryn, firing their weapons at Crais, sending shards of rock everywhere, just as he knew they would. He quickly hid behind the rock as the pulse blasts impacted around him._

_The guards suddenly stopped firing and shouted to Ciryn to get onto the transport. Crais immediately dropped to the ground on his abdomen, but remained partially hidden by the outcrop for cover, and fired his pulse rifle, hitting two of the guards in the back and burning through their spinal cords, killing them instantly. The remaining guards and Ciryn dropped to the ground for cover. Fortunately, Crais was a good shot. He had a clear shot at the heads of two of the guards and took them out, then watched Ciryn and her last guard try to press themselves against the ground for protection. Unfortunately, the last guard's body was partially obscured by Ciryn, whom he wanted to keep alive for the moment._

_Activating the scope on his rifle, he targeted the bodyguard's leg, which was sticking out from behind Ciryn's head, and fired. The Sebacean cried out in pain and drew in his leg, clutching at it as he rolled on the ground. Crais then watched a terrified Ciryn get up and try to run to safety in her transport. Crais immediately shot the guard in the back of the neck, killing him, then shot at a spot on the ground not too far in front of Ciryn. The pulse blast impacted the ground just as she neared the area and several shards of rock were flung into the woman's feet and legs, sending her tumbling to the ground._

_Crais stood, holstering his pistol, and walked to where Ciryn lay moaning, crying, and squirming in agony. Suddenly he heard a noise behind him and spun around, dropping to one knee and raising his rifle. He faced another of Ciryn's personal guards who had his rifle raised and aimed it at Crais. The former Captain could tell the guard was about to fire. But Crais began to squeeze the trigger on his rifle to ensure his safety. Before he could fire, someone shot the guard in the back. As the Sebacean collapsed, Crais saw Rygel floating in his thronesled with a small pulse pistol in hand._

"_Dominar Rygel," Crais greeted, standing up._

"_Crais," Rygel said, returning the greeting as he floated toward the ex-Captain._

"_Why are you here?" he asked suspiciously. "You should be with the others, getting ready to return to Moya."_

"_I couldn't leave without saying 'goodbye' properly."_

"_Goodbye?"_

"_Yes, goodbye," he answered, raising his pistol and firing it at Ciryn. The pulse blasts burned through her head, killing her instantly._

"_Very appropriate," Crais said, nodding._

"_Thank you," the small Dominar replied, returning the nod._

"_As a matter of fact…" Crais began, walking to the entrance of the cave. "I am glad that you are here."_

"_Well, I would imagine that you are," Rygel said, following Crais. "If I hadn't been here you would be dead."_

"_Of course," Crais said, playing along. Stopping before the entrance to the cave network, he added, "So, I owe you my life."_

"_Yes, you do, don't you?"_

_Turning around to face Rygel, Crais answered, "Which is exactly why I will not kill you."_

"_What?" Rygel blurted out, fear emanating from him in waves._

"_You betrayed us, Dominar Rygel, and if you come with us, you may betray us again. You are a threat to the others' survival. And their survival ensures my survival." Walking up to Rygel, he added, "However, as you said, I owe you my life."_

"_What… will you do with me?" he softly asked, his earbrows drooping toward his face._

"_If you attempt to follow me and if you attempt to reach the surface before we leave, I __**will**__ kill you," Crais answered, then turned around and marched out of the cavern, leaving Rygel behind._

Crichton would never understand. He cherished life to the point that he would give an ally, even a former ally, a second chance which that ally did not deserve. He said, "It is as I said, Crichton."

"Right," Crichton drawled in response. Turning to Talyn's beta channel, he added, "Talyn, if he does anything, shoot him."

Turning away from Crichton to look out the forward portal, the former Peacekeeper thought, _Predictable._

He listened as Crichton pushed himself off the console and made his way to the hatch, then stopped and sighed, "Wait, Talyn." Crichton turned around, placing his hand on his hip and raising his hand to rub his forehead. "If he does something, don't shoot him. Just keep your guns on him and have one of your DRD's come get Aeryn or me."

As the human turned around again and walked off the bridge, Crais smirked as his previous thought passed through his mind again.


	10. Chapter 8

"Look, Generals, all I want to do is come down and see my family before we start talking about Natalie, Chiana, and anything else you want to talk about," John said, frustrated. He paced Moya's command, one hand on his hip, the other rubbing his forehead as his headache grew worse with each word the stubborn Air Force and Army officers spoke.

According to Talyn, through Moya and Pilot, the Air Force General was the same individual Natalie had to deal with when she first arrived in orbit, and the Army General, William Sloane, was the same officer who had caused several problems for Natalie and Chiana on the surface. What made things worse was that General Bourne was the commanding officer of the Air Force's Space Command and Sloane was in charge of 'alien affairs' within the United States. They could have any ship entering the atmosphere over the U.S. shot down, and could have any alien – including John – shot or taken prisoner within United States territory.

"If you were to come down by yourself, Crichton, and allow us to keep you under military escort at all times, we might consider it," Bourne replied over the comms.

"Just _what_ is the problem?" John yelled, talking with his hands.

"You can't guarantee that incidents similar to the ones that occurred with Dr. Grant won't occur again if you come down to the surface."

"You know, _life_ can't be guaranteed. So, how can you expect me to guarantee that the same things won't happen when I'm down there? _Especially_ when those 'similar incidents' were caused by an organization that you can't seem to find." John knew it was most likely some government agency that had caused all the problems, but he wasn't sure what would happen if he voiced his suspicion.

"Give us a moment, Commander," Sloane responded, muting the connection.

Walking up to stand at John's side, Aeryn softly said, "You know, if we can't work out a deal for us to get to the surface, we should probably come up with a better plan for rescuing Chiana and Grant. And…" she paused, trying to find the right words. "_If_ we can't work this out and do go through with getting them off Earth, we should consider the possibility of having to leave your family and Grant's behind."

"No, I won't leave them behind," John said softly, but adamantly. He understood where Aeryn was coming from, but he couldn't agree. "I can't force them to clean up the mess we're going to make."

"Then we have to make this deal work. Otherwise, we're going to need to come up with another plan to get them off Earth as well. Planning and executing that will take time that we probably won't have."

"I know," he sighed. Looking at her, he continued, "But I won't leave them behind, Aeryn. If we have to, we'll try to get everyone off at the same time."

"But we don't have the manpower or the equipment for that kind of operation."

"Which is why I need to make _this_ deal work," John stated firmly.

"Commander?" they suddenly heard Sloane say over the comms.

"Yeah," John acknowledged.

"If we allow you and your 'people' to come down, how many of them will be joining you?"

Glancing at Aeryn, then Zhaan, standing behind him, John said, "For the moment, four others."

"Four?" Zhaan asked quietly in bewilderment, walking up to John. "I thought only Aeryn and I would accompany you."

"Yes, four," John answered to everyone. Quietly, to Zhaan and Aeryn he added, "After all this, I want Jothee and Crais there with us for extra help. We might need it, considering how paranoid the military is."

"You're actually going to let Crais come with us to the surface?" Aeryn asked quietly in surprise. "Are you feeling all right?"

Sloane interrupted before John could answer. "These four others will have to join you in quarantine for a few days before we allow you to travel anywhere else."

Looking at Aeryn, he could see in her eyes she was having flashbacks of the time she spent in 'quarantine' in the Ancients' simulation. He wasn't going to let that happen again. He asked, "What's the catch and how many days is a few?"

"We would like your cooperation in a few areas, Commander."

"And what would those be?"

"Dr. Grant has been very uncooperative in helping us to understand the technology we acquired from her."

"You mean the tech you stole from her," John whispered.

"We would like you to help us reverse engineer the technology and reproduce it."

"I don't really understand most of this stuff myself, but I'll do what I can to help you out," he lied. "And how many days is a few?"

"We appreciate your willingness to cooperate with us, Commander."

"And we'll need to keep you in confinement for a week," Bourne added.

Interrupting Bourne, Sloane said, "I'm sorry, Commander, but that is S.O.P."

"What would it take for you to get that down to half a day? I'll even take a full day."

"An act of God," Bourne responded derisively.

"Well, I'm not God." Pacing, he chewed on the tip of his thumb, then added, "But I do have weapons." That earned shocked stares from everyone in the chamber.

"Crichton, what the frell are you doing?" Jothee whispered.

John glared at Jothee and brought up his finger to his lips, silently quieting the Luxan. He said, "So, how 'bout it, Generals?"

"Give us a moment, Commander," Sloane said, then muted the transmission.

"John, you cannot possibly give them weapons," Zhaan said worriedly.

"We don't have a choice. It's the only thing we have that'll get our stay in containment cut short. Besides, more than half the materials needed to make pulse weapons don't exist on Earth. My planet doesn't even have chakan oil, so there's no way they'll be able to reproduce the technology."

"What about the other technology Earth's military took from Natalie?" she asked.

"I don't know…"

"Commander, we have an agreement, but with a few exceptions," Sloane stated.

"What are the exceptions?" John asked.

"We will require your party to remain in quarantine for two days."

"We can live with that."

Continuing, Bourne said, "While on the surface, you will be required to relinquish your weapons and you _will_ remain under military escort at all times."

"_That_ we can't live with."

"Why not?"

"After what happened to Natalie and Chiana, do you really think that we'll give up our only protection?"

"You won't have to worry about protection, Crichton. Your escort will protect you."

"Well, sorry, General, but I don't trust you or your troops."

"Then what will it take, Commander?" Sloane stepped in.

"We want our original agreement. With what we have to offer, leaving us alone is the least you can do. Besides, we can always take our technology to another country that's more hospitable and where my family and Natalie's can meet us."

John could hear the muffled argument between the two Generals over the comms. Bourne was the hardliner and John knew he would rather have any transport entering the atmosphere shot down, no matter where it was going. Sloane, on the other hand, was a snake. John could tell all he wanted was the technology – weapons technology in particular – and he'd do whatever it took to get that technology, including making deals such as the one they were making now.

"We'll give you what you want, Commander," Sloane finally answered.

"Thank you, General," John said with false sincerity.

"Within the next twenty-four hours, you will contact us with the time you will land," Bourne instructed. "When you enter the atmosphere, you will be greeted by a flight of F-22s and they will escort you to Vandenberg. Along the way, you will receive your landing instructions. If you deviate from your course, they _will_ fire upon you."

"Do we _have_ to go through this again?" John shouted.

"No, we don't, Commander," Sloane answered. John could almost hear the glare Bourne was giving Sloane. "Where do you wish to land?"

"At IASA."

"I think we can manage that."

"Good," John replied, nodding slightly. "Can you also manage to have my family there and keep this quiet?"

"Keeping this quiet won't be a problem. We don't want another debacle. As for your family, your father is the flight director and I believe Dr. Knox is still employed there as an engineer. I'm not sure about your sister, but I'll do what I can."

_Yeah, right,_ John thought sarcastically. He said, "Thanks, General. We'll call again when we're ready to come down."

"Crichton, I think this is the worst idea you've ever had," Jothee said once the comms channel was closed.

"How would you know?" Crichton asked, turning to the hybrid. "You've only known me for a few monens."

"Yes," Aeryn interjected semi-cheerfully. "He's had plenty of worse ideas before."

----------------------------------------------------

Walking into the large, white room deep inside the IASA main facility, Jack saw the spacious 'decon' chamber at the back of the room with several IASA personnel monitoring the chamber and the people inside at consoles in the foreground. It was the same chamber Natalie and Chiana were forced to stay in. However, it had been modified with two other beds arranged in bunks and opaque, carbon-fiber walls, allowing its occupants some privacy. Unfortunately, that meant he couldn't look inside to see his son. Instead, he weaved his way through the various consoles and walked up to one at the front of the room that was hooked up to the cameras inside.

He saw the five people inside, none of whom were talking, and three of whom were sitting on the couch and in the chairs around the table. But his eyes were specifically drawn to John. He was sitting lengthwise on one of the four bunks with a woman seated on the bed in front of him. This was the first time he had seen his son in nearly three years. Considering how much Natalie had changed in the short time she had been in the Uncharted Territories, and with what she had told him of John, he had expected John to be different and tried to prepare himself. But to actually see the difference with his own eyes was harder than he'd expected. Seeing this person dressed in black leather, a pulse pistol strapped to his thigh, it was difficult to equate him with the son who had disappeared nearly three years ago. He was still John, though, and any differences Jack could not accept was his own problem. He needed to get over the differences, and soon, if they were to accomplish their goals.

He quickly glanced at the other occupants of the room and immediately recognized Aeryn, Zhaan, and Crais from the descriptions Natalie had given him. However, he didn't recognize the fourth occupant. His face and head were covered in terrible scars that looked as if someone had severed several appendages. He identified the clothing the alien wore as a Peacekeeper Special Ops uniform, complete with Peacekeeper pulse pistol, from the various uniforms and technology Natalie had described to the military while in quarantine. The white cap on top of his head and large gold and silver sword strapped to his back seemed a bit out of place.

"Open the door," he sighed nervously, then walked up to the chamber as the operator did as instructed. He walked inside before the door fully slid open, then came to a complete stop as almost everyone in the chamber stood, all eyes on him.

"Dad," John said hopefully, getting up from his bunk and taking a few cautious steps forward.

As the two slowly walked up to each other, Jack could see in John's eyes that he was hopeful and worried all at the same time. To try to ease his son's fears, whatever they may be, he said, "Everything's going to be okay, John."

John suddenly rushed up to him, wrapping his arms around him and clutching at him in a tight embrace, then suddenly whispered in his ear, "Is it safe to talk?"

"Yeah, son, it's safe," he answered, clutching tightly to his son moreso because it had been three years since he had seen him, but he understood John's caution. With how paranoid the world was, everyone in the chamber was in danger.

John suddenly pulled away, taking a few steps back, then glanced with only his eyes at the camera attached to the ceiling on the other side of the chamber. He asked, "What about those?"

"You don't have to worry about those. They're hardwired to one of the monitors outside. The only way anyone can tap into the feed is to get into the room and link directly to the console or to the cables."

"And what about the people operating those consoles?"

"I've made sure they're IASA personnel. No military involvement, just like you wanted. Those people are loyal to us because of what you and Natalie represent. You don't have to worry about them. As a matter of fact, this is probably the safest place we can talk."

"What do you mean?" John asked worriedly.

Sighing, Jack answered, "After the Army found Chiana at my place, you can bet they've bugged my house and tapped my phones. They've probably done the same with Livvy's place and Susan's. They might've even bugged DK's place. I can't say for sure; but they most likely did. I do know for certain they've bugged Natalie's ranch up in Virginia."

"Damn," he replied, rubbing his forehead. The worried glances toward John from the others in the room didn't go unnoticed by Jack. But they seemed to be more worried about John than the situation. John didn't pay any attention to those glances and went on, "No wonder they were so quick to agree to our terms."

"What do you mean, John?" Zhaan asked, apparently respecting John's silence on whatever worried the rest of them.

"'Bugs' are tiny listening devices and cameras that can't be seen by the naked eye. They can be placed anywhere," he answered.

"Which means your government will be able to listen in on our planning when we are released," Crais said.

"That's why they agreed to let us out after two days," Aeryn added.

"Yeah," John sighed. "They're hoping we'll get comfortable once we're out of here and let slip something they can use. We can't stay in here, either, otherwise they'll get suspicious."

"John, you could not have predicted this would happen," Zhaan said, trying to reassure him.

"Well, you guys have an excuse," he said, looking at them. "You didn't know humans had that kind of technology, but I should've known better."

"John," Jack interrupted quietly, walking up to John and taking hold of his arms. "I know you're going to keep beating yourself up over this, but you need to suck it up."

"I know, Dad," he replied quietly and annoyed. "So, where are Liv and DK?"

"Sloane wouldn't give them clearance. He said it was all in the name of national security because Livvy's a civilian and DK's just an engineer, and since you want to keep all this quiet. He probably figures you won't make too much of a fuss since you're already down here and agreed to help him."

"Great," John mumbled sarcastically. "So, what can you tell us about the jail Natalie's in?"

As they each took a seat around the table, Jack said, "The detention center is a medium security facility with standard cellblocks and all the usual refinements." Pulling a folded piece of paper out of his pocket, he unfolded it and spread it out on the table in front of him. It was a copy of some blueprints. "Since this is a special case, it was agreed that she should be placed in prison instead of jail where there's more personnel and firepower to protect her. Or to keep her in." Pointing to a large room on the diagram, he added, "She's being held here – a large dormitory cell on the second floor."

"Why medium security?" John asked, studying the layout of the second floor.

"Well, there were some people who wanted her to be sent to Huntsville or the Houston FDC. While practically everyone wanted her in a prison, the crimes Natalie was jailed for didn't warrant a stay in a _maximum security_ prison. So, they stuck her in San Jacinto."

"What type of security do they possess?" Crais suddenly asked as he studied the blueprints, bringing the conversation back to the original topic.

"They have rotating shifts with up to three dozen guards patrolling the building and the prison grounds during a shift. Normally, the prison guards only patrol the building, but they've heightened their security because of Natalie."

"What are they armed with?" Jothee asked.

"Standard equipment is made up of stun-bag shotguns, rubber bullets, batons, M26 taser pistols, pepper spray, sting ball grenades, and arwens. But they also have Berettas, Colts, Sig Sauers, assault rifles, submachine guns, and tear gas on standby in a locker that can only be opened via an electronic keypad. They also have cameras and motion sensors all over the building. Nothing can get in or out without someone seeing." Jack saw the confused look on Aeryn's face as well as the others, except for his son, when he listed the weapons the prison guards used. He and they all understood they didn't have time for him to explain just yet.

"What about the building itself?" Aeryn asked.

"Steel-reinforced, shatter-proof glass and steel doors. The doors are all computer controlled, but can be opened manually, if necessary."

"What do we need to open the doors?" Aeryn asked. Jack had to wonder what kind of locks and 'door knobs' her people used as she asked her question.

"Either a hacker or keys. But we don't have either of those and probably won't get them."

"We'll need explosives," Jothee interjected.

"Low yield shape charges," Aeryn suggested.

"Agreed," Crais stated.

"We should cut the power, too," John suggested. "If the doors are mainly computer controlled, it might take 'em a while to find the keys."

"We'll move with relative freedom," Aeryn replied.

Looking at Jack, John asked, "Do you know where the breaker box is?"

"No, I don't know where the power comes in," he answered. "We can't risk taking out the power station that provides electricity to the facility, either – not without knowing what other locations that station provides power for."

"Then you'll need at least half a dozen personnel…" Jack heard Crais say, but didn't pay attention any further. His attention was focused on John, sitting on the other side of the table with Aeryn between them. He could see the determination in John's eyes. His son had changed in his three years away from Earth, but Jack was certain that the one thing that hadn't changed was his stubborn determination. He was going to see this through all the way to the end, even if it meant having to leave Earth forever.

"What about an E.M.P.?" John suddenly asked, catching Jack by surprise.

"Are you serious?" Jack asked. "You can make something that'll emit just an E.M.P.?"

"I don't know," he answered.

"John, what is an E.M.P.?" Zhaan asked.

"Electromagnetic pulse."

"We don't have anything on either Moya or Talyn that could create an energy field like that," Aeryn stated.

Leaning forward, his elbows on the table, John said, "But if we could make something that could put out a sustained E.M.P., we'll be able to cut the power and keep it off while we get Natalie outta there."

"I'll check Talyn's memory banks when we return," Crais said. "It is possible the information to create such a device is stored there."

"But first, we need to get Livvy, DK, and Natalie's family all up to Moya and Talyn," Jack said. "They won't be safe anywhere else after we do this." Silently, he added, _I should've waited to ask her to fly in._

"We will, Dad," John stated softly, still focused on the blueprints. Suddenly turning to Jack, he asked, "But how do you know so much about this jail anyway?"


	11. Chapter 9

With a heavy, frustrated sigh, Olivia Crichton tossed the magazine onto the coffee table, crossed her arms, then checked the clock on the mantle again as she waited for her father to arrive. He had called her a day and a half ago and asked her to come over and wait for him there. He hadn't said why, just that she needed to be there. He sounded like whatever was wrong was urgent, so she took the first flight out of Orlando and had arrived nearly twelve hours ago.

She didn't mind coming over; she enjoyed coming home, in fact. But being forced to drop everything, then wait for twelve hours with no explanation, was ridiculous. Even if the raid on the house by the Deltas had shaken him, he wouldn't have been so paranoid as to believe they would bug his phone. _Unless he has something else to hide,_ she speculated, which seemed highly likely now that she thought about it.

Without warning, the front door unlocked and opened. As Olivia turned around to see who it was, she heard, "Anyone home?" It was DK.

"In here," she yelled, a smile on her face, then got up and walked to the foyer as DK shut the door and walked up to her.

"It's good to see you, Livvy," he said, sliding his arms around her, giving her a good hug.

"It's good to see you, too." It had been almost two years since they had seen each other, and seeing him again made things even more unusual. Pulling away, a quizzical look on her face, she asked, "But why are you here?"

"I got a call from Jack. He asked me to come by."

"Did he say why?" she asked, leading him into the family room.

He sat down on the couch as she sat on the love seat and answered, "Uh uh. He didn't say a word."

"He didn't say anything to me, either."

Looking around, DK suddenly asked, "Is Susan around?"

She gave him a look that said, 'are you kidding?'

"They're still not talking?"

"No," she answered sadly, shaking her head.

"How long has it been?" At the curious look on her face, he added, "Jack hasn't said a word to me about what's going on between the two of them."

"They haven't talked for about half a year now – they tried to get together when Natalie and Chiana arrived. But even when they did talk all they did was argue. Then she stopped taking his calls. Dad tried, but Frank shot him down every time. If we're both here, he probably tried to call her, but Frank probably shot him down again."

"And it's all because of John…"

"Don't say that," Olivia nearly shouted.

"I don't mean it like that," DK backpedaled, his hands held up in the air. His eyes shifting, he added, "All I meant was that if Farscape One hadn't been drawn into that wormhole, then none of this would've happened."

He didn't sound like he meant that. Suspicious, she asked, "So you don't blame him for everything that's happened to you?"

"Of course not."

He was lying. Consciously or subconsciously she couldn't tell, but his body language confirmed he was lying. She was somewhat good at reading body language and could, at times, know when people were lying. She called it her 'bullshit detector'. But she didn't want to make DK feel uncomfortable, especially not when her father had asked the both of them to come by.

Steering the conversation into not quite another direction, she asked, "So, how are things going for you?"

"All right, I guess," he answered, looking down.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

Trying to avoid an awkward silence, Olivia asked, "So… how's Linda?"

He suddenly stiffened and looked away. Before he did, though, she saw a mix of sadness and regret in his eyes, even some anger. _So much for avoiding an awkward silence,_ she thought. She got up and walked around the coffee table to sit next to DK on the couch. She took his hand in hers and said softly, "DK, I'm sorry. I had no idea…"

"It's all right," he said quietly, pulling his hand from hers.

"So, what happened?"

"She left me," he answered, looking at her, his entire demeanor exuding regret.

"She left you?" Olivia repeated, surprised. "I thought the two of you were getting married?"

"We were."

"I'm so sorry…" she trailed off, wrapping her arm around his shoulder and pulling him into a gentle hug.

"Me, too."

Suddenly, they heard the back door to the garage open. As Olivia let go of DK, the two stood up and saw Jack walking out of the kitchen into the dining room. "Dad, where have you been?" Olivia asked, walking around the couch to the dining room with DK following her. They stopped dead in their tracks, though, as they saw the man following Jack out of the kitchen. Shocked, Olivia whispered, "John?" The smile on his face was all the proof her mind needed that he was actually there. She walked up to him, pulled him into a nearly crushing hug, and whispered, "It's about time you got here."

"I missed you, too," he said softly.

Hearing DK clear his throat behind her, she let go of John and watched as he and DK cautiously approached each other. John's appearance was an obvious surprise to DK and he looked as if he didn't quite know what to make of his best friend dressed in leather, with a gun strapped to his thigh. It also looked as if John had expected this reaction. But the two still embraced each other, with slight hesitance on DK's part.

"It's good to see you again, Bro," he said.

"It's good to see you, too, DK," John responded.

DK suddenly looked up at something behind her and Olivia saw the surprised look in his eyes again. She turned around as the two men let go of each other and saw four people – if that was the right word – standing there behind them. Two were humans and were dressed similarly to John, but the other two… they were nothing like she had ever seen before. _Looks like you got it wrong, Lucas,_ she thought, gazing at the two aliens, one of which had blue skin with gold accents, the other tentacles and scars all over his head and a massive sword strapped to his back.

"Livvy, DK," John said, motioning to them with his hand. He then motioned to the four standing behind Jack and said, "This is Aeryn, Zhaan, Jothee, and… Crais."

"Hello," she slowly drawled, still working through the fact that not only had John come home, but he had also brought his friends with him and they were all standing there in her father's house.

"Uh, hi," she barely heard DK mumble.

While Aeryn and Crais nodded, Zhaan bowed her head and she and Jothee both said things that Olivia didn't understand.

She slowly walked backwards to John, her eyes never leaving the four guests. She also made absolutely certain she didn't make any sudden moves. Once next to him, she quietly said, "John, what's going on?"

"Livvy, we need you and DK to come with us up to Talyn," he answered quietly.

"What?" they both nearly shouted, DK turning to face his best friend.

"It's not safe here," he answered, looking at both of them. "Especially not with Natalie's trial nearing and _especially_ not with the government breathing down Dad's neck after they found Chiana here."

Looking at Jack, she asked, confused, "Dad?"

"He's right, Liv. It's not safe. So, I'm going with him. We came by to get the two of you and pack up some of our stuff."

"So, are you two in or out?" John asked.

Looking at DK, Olivia saw a smile growing on his face. It was one of those smiles he used to get whenever he and John were planning on doing something crazy, but fun for them. He said, "Hell yeah, Bro, I'm in."

"Liv?" John asked.

Sighing, she planted her hand on her hip and rubbed her forehead the way her brother did at times. Looking up at her father, she asked aggravatedly, "If this is what you were planning, why didn't you just come pick me up in Orlando? Why did you call me and ask me to come here?"

With a sheepish smile, he answered, "Well, I didn't think about bringing you and DK up to Talyn until after I called. I'm sorry, hon."

"Apology accepted." She silently added, _for the billionth time._

Jack then looked at DK and said, "You'd better get home and pack up your things if you're coming with us."

"Right," he replied, turning and walking to the door.

"Bring only what you can carry," John shouted.

"Thanks for stating the obvious, John," DK shouted back, then opened the door and walked out.

Turning to the aliens, Jack said, "Why don't you four make yourselves comfortable." Turning to Olivia and John, he added, "I could use some help packing – my stuff and Natalie's. You two should pack up some of your old stuff, too."

"Right," John said, stepping aside to let Olivia and Jack walk past him to the stairs.

As she followed her father to the foyer, Olivia glanced back at the four people John had brought with him as they 'made themselves comfortable'. Both Aeryn and Zhaan were exploring the family room and dining room, looking at various pictures and paintings on the wall and the assortment of objects dotting the two joined rooms. Crais and Jothee, on the other hand, looked like they had absolutely no idea what to do. They were both standing near the opening to the kitchen and appeared to be wondering what they were doing on Earth in the first place. Olivia wondered the same thing.

Walking up the stairs behind Jack, she asked, "Hey, John, what's up with Crais and Jothee anyway?"

"Oh, they're long stories," he responded, walking around the banister.

"Then what about that sword?" she asked, stopping and turning to face him, a curious look on her face.

"It belonged to his father."

"Oh."

----------------------------------------------------

She hadn't been lying about Earth when she and John were hiding from the military in that apartment nearly three years ago. It really was a beautiful planet. But during that time, while Aeryn and John thought they were running from his people, she had actually said it to try to help John feel better. Under different circumstances, she would have kept her mouth shut because it had been a trivial matter to her. To a Peacekeeper, it didn't matter what a planet looked like. But she wasn't a Peacekeeper anymore. She had grown far past that.

Flying over an area John had called Virginia, after having made a quick stop at Olivia's dwelling in Orlando, she could appreciate the beauty of his planet – she could appreciate the simplicity compared to most other places she had visited. Other planets were dotted with massive structures with very little room for foliage. Earth, on the other hand, was still covered in greenery, regardless of the Humans' technological advancement. It would have been a nice place to live.

Suddenly, the pod's sensors came to life, holo projections appearing in the viewing shells in front of the pilots' seats. They showed half a dozen one-man fighters circling in what appeared to be a holding pattern several metras ahead.

Jack came up to stand next to John, looking at the readout, and said, "F-22s. They're probably just waiting to see what we're going to do. They probably don't even know we can see them."

Bourne had mentioned F-22s while he and John were arguing over a deal, but Aeryn still had no idea what they were. Jack must have realized that no one in the cabin, besides the other humans, had any idea what an F-22 was because, in short order, he supplied an answer. "It's a stealth fighter. They're supposed to be nearly undetectable."

"Well, they might be invisible to radar, but they can't beat pulse-back soundings," John replied.

"Which is what exactly?" DK asked, standing behind John.

"It's kinda like active sonar, but more sophisticated." Glancing back at Jack, he asked, "You know, I've been meaning to ask you about that. I thought the F-22 wasn't scheduled for integration for another six years."

"It wasn't," Jack replied. "The F-22 was rushed into production and integration not too long after Talyn showed up in orbit."

"Too bad we can't tell them that they've wasted their money. All that stealth technology won't do them any good if the Peacekeepers or the Scarrans show up."

"Of course, there is no likelihood of the Scarrans arriving on Earth," Crais interjected. "Not while they are at war with the Nebari."

"I'm trying to make a point, Crais."

"My apologies, Commander," he said, feigning innocence.

Aeryn rolled her eyes at the two of them. Despite all that they had been through together, they were still at each other's throats, even with the small things. She glanced over to John's sister and best friend who were standing at the front of the pod, watching as the landscape flew past. They both had confused looks on their faces. Aeryn imagined they would have that same look many times in the upcoming monens.

"Aeryn, slow down," Jack suddenly said. She did as instructed and pulled back on the throttle as they came upon a large spot of treeless land. There were people and animals dotting the landscape and two wood dwellings situated in front of a small lake.

"This is the ranch," Jack added. John looked back at him, a curious look on his face. Jack answered, "I visited Natalie's son for her a few times. She wanted me to check up on him and see how his recuperation was going."

Aeryn circled the area and looked for a place to land. She noticed a number of people unsuccessfully trying to keep several large animals calm in a fenced-off area near the smaller of the two buildings.

"Aeryn, you'd better put it down," John suggested. "Those ranch hands aren't going to be happy that we're spookin' their horses."

_So, those are horses,_ Aeryn thought, as she landed in a fairly large clearing several motras away from the two structures, remembering back to her conversation with John about those beasts of burden.

As she powered down the pod, Jack said, "It would probably be for the best if you all stayed put. I'll go see Kristin and try to get her and Jason to come with us."

"We're going with you, Dad," John said, standing up and glancing at Aeryn who stood up as well. "I'm not letting you go out there by yourself with who-knows-who-else is out there."

"John…"

"Dad, don't argue," John interrupted, then turned to follow Aeryn out the treblin side hatch.

As they walked down the ladder, Aeryn heard Jack say, "You two better let me do the talking. After what happened to Natalie, Kristin hasn't been too receptive about the idea of meeting you."

"That's why you didn't want us to come with you," Aeryn stated as Jack walked past and led them to the main house.

"Yeah," he replied as the three saw a woman in her sixties walk out of the house and stare at them as they approached. Several microts later, they walked up the steps to the porch and Jack moved toward the woman to hug her and said, "It's good to see you again, Kristin."

"It's good to see you, too, Jack," she said neutrally, hugging him back. Pulling away, she said, "I hope you realize you scared the hell out of my horses."

"We're sorry about that. But we needed to find a good place to land."

Kristin simply nodded in response, then, glancing at Aeryn and John, coolly asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Look, Kristin, with all this paranoia goin' around, it isn't going to be safe around here once Natalie gets out…"

"It isn't safe _now_, Jack. We've already had a couple of broken windows, my car was set on fire, and we've received hate mail and phone calls. Over a quarter of my employees quit, too, either out of fear or because they believe all that's being said about my daughter."

"Which is exactly why we need to get you, Jason, and Scott up to Talyn."

"I agree that we need to get Jason to safety, but can you guarantee that he'll be safer up there than he will be down here?"

"Yeah, I can. Before she was arrested, Natalie told me that Talyn would protect Jason no matter what. She also told me she wants the two of you and Scott on Talyn. He'll be safe up there." Taking her arms in his hands, he pleaded, "You and Scott will, too."

"What about your children, Jack? Are you that confident that they'll be safe up there?"

"Olivia and John, yes. Susan…" he sadly trailed off. "She's not coming. I hate leaving her behind, but she doesn't want to have anything to do with me, and I have to protect Livvy and John and myself. Just like you need to protect Jason and yourself. You'll both be safe with us."

Aeryn watched as Kristin looked at Jack for several microts, deciding on her next course of action. She finally said, "All right, come on in. We'll talk to Jason and see what he wants."

"Jason's here?" he asked, following her into the house.

"Yeah, I'm home schooling him," she answered, leading them through the house to the kitchen. "Things just got too dangerous for him at the public school."

Walking into the kitchen, Aeryn saw the teen sitting at a round table reading a fairly large book, other books and assorted papers were scattered around the table. His right leg was resting on another chair and had some sort of brace on his knee. He looked just like his mother, square face, brown hair (but spiked with blonde streaks), brown eyes, and all. He looked up from his book and watched as they approached. A questioning look on his face, he said, "Hey, Jack. What's going on?"

"Jason…" Kristin started, sitting down in the chair next to him. "They're here to take us up to Talyn. I don't exactly agree with them about going up there, but it's not safe here."

"Well, it's about time," he said angrily, looking straight at John and Aeryn. "While you guys were up there, I was stuck down here with morons who think kicking my ass is cool just because my mom has alien friends and was arrested for it."

"Jason," Kristin warned.

"C'mon, Grandma. I mean, just where were they while I was down here getting my knee cap shattered again a few months after it healed the first time?"

"Jason, they're here now, and they're willing to help for the moment. Don't let that mouth of yours ruin this for you if you want to get off Earth."

"Sorry," he mumbled, shutting the book in front of him.

To Aeryn, he seemed a lot like Chiana. But, unlike the Nebari, Jason had someone to teach him right and wrong and _some_ manners.

"Jason, why don't you go on upstairs and start packing," Jack suggested.

"Sure," he mumbled, gently easing his leg from the chair and getting up as he grabbed his crutches. He then slowly made his way through the living room to the stairs.

"So, where's Scott?" Jack asked.

"His carrier was deployed to the Indian Ocean. The last I heard, it was on its way back to the Pacific. But even if he were here, he wouldn't leave. The Navy is his life and he wouldn't give that up."

"I can understand that," he said sadly. Aeryn could tell that he missed the military life. She understood all too well.

"But you should get packing, too," Jack continued.

"I'm not leaving, Jack," she said matter of factly.

"Kristin, it's not safe for you here, either. You said as much yourself."

"I've lived here off and on for forty-two years, when I wasn't being shuffled around to different Naval bases with my husband. I've given birth to two sons and a daughter here, and I've tried to raise them as best I could while we were forced to move all over the country. My husband died here, Jack. I plan on dying here, as well. I'm not leaving."

Listening to Kristin, Aeryn wondered just how differently her life would have been if Xhalax and Talyn hadn't been Peacekeepers. She liked to think that just maybe they would have turned out to be like Jack and Kristin.

"All right," Jack said, nodding, a small smile on his face. Giving her arm a gentle squeeze, he added, "Good luck."

She took his hand in hers, giving it a squeeze, then gently said, "You, too."


	12. Chapter 10

"You guys should probably leave your stuff here on Talyn," John said to his father, sister, DK, and Jason as they slowly followed him down the ladder of the transport pod. With the exception of Jason, who was being helped down the ladder by Zhaan, they were all carrying several large bags full of as many possessions as they could take with them. They weren't sure if they were ever going to go back to Earth, considering what they were planning on doing.

As they walked into the maintenance bay, Jack asked, "Why? Is there something wrong with Moya?"

"Yes and no," John answered, stopping as he put his bags down. He nodded to Aeryn, Crais, and Jothee as they left the bay for the strategy room to access Talyn's memory banks, then looked at the five others still with him in the bay and said, "A few months ago we picked up a bunch of freed slaves. Some of them are desperate enough for currency that they'll steal your stuff and try to sell it at the next commerce planet we come across."

"That is why we brought all of our currency and several of our more treasured possessions to Talyn," Zhaan said. She looked at Jason, laying a hand on his back, then said, "Come. I will look at your knee and do what I can for you."

"Thanks, Zhaan," he said, then smiled at her. He started to follow her out of the bay, then suddenly turned and asked, "Hey, can one of you take my stuff to my quarters? They're on tier five, number eight, treblin side."

"No problem, kid," John answered, then watched as Zhaan led Natalie's son to the sickbay. Turning to his family and friend, he asked, "You guys all right?"

"No," Olivia answered, shaking her head. "But I will be. Eventually."

John took her hand and gave it a squeeze, trying to give her some comfort. She had been virtually silent since they left her home in Orlando. While they were packing her belongings, everything seemed to sink in with her. She finally realized that that may have been the last time she would be in her house, the last time she had the chance to see her friends, and the last time she would ever do anything in that city. That was one thing John hated about having to do this. He didn't want to force his family away from the only lives they knew, but he didn't have a choice, not if Natalie and Chiana were to survive. He only wished Susan would talk to his father or at least Liv. Frank told them that Susan didn't want to talk and to never call again. If she had taken the call, at the very least she would have known he was alive even if she didn't want to come with them, which he doubted she would.

Letting go of Olivia's hand, he said, "C'mon, I'll show you where you can put your stuff."

----------------------------------------------------

"Any luck?" John asked, walking into the strategy room, Jack, Olivia, and DK following.

As they gathered around the strategy table, John coming to stand next to Aeryn as usual, Jothee said, "It depends on what you consider luck."

"What's that supposed to mean?" DK asked.

"We've found a generator in Talyn's memory banks that will emit an electromagnetic pulse, but it's limited," Aeryn answered. "It has an extremely short range and will burn out after a quarter arn. According to the plans Jack gave us, the secondary generators in the prison will undoubtedly activate a few microts afterwards."

"Is that the only thing in there like that?" John asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Crais answered. "Which means you must enter the facility, retrieve Dr. Grant, exit the premises, and leave the area within seven hundred microts."

"Can you do that?" Jack asked, looking at John.

"We'll try." Glancing at Aeryn, he thought about what had taken place at both of Scorpius' Gammak Bases and added, "It's not like we haven't broken anyone out of jail before."

"You've done this before?" DK asked, surprised.

Glancing at DK, John answered, "Yeah, we have. Twice, actually." Looking back at Aeryn, he asked, "How close do we have to be to the jail for this to work?"

"It has a radius of twenty seven point four motras," she answered.

"How far is that?" Olivia asked, confused.

"About fifty yards," John replied.

"That's pretty close, John," Jack commented. "We're going to have to plant it inside the building."

Aeryn looked at Jack, Olivia, and DK, and asked, "Can you get it inside past security?"

"I doubt it," Jack answered. "Ever since September 11th, security has been put on high alert. The closest we could probably get it is the parking garage, which is directly under the facility. But the closest I can park is still pretty far away from where Natalie's being held."

"Are you sure you're okay with all of this?" John suddenly asked his family. While they were still in quarantine, Jack had told them about what happened to the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. His father had acted as if it were a personal attack against him. Now, they were going up against the United States government to free their friends. It didn't bother John that much since he'd known something like this would happen when he returned. He'd had time to prepare for it, unlike his family and best friend.

"We're going to have to be," DK answered. "Natalie's my friend, too. So, no matter what, I'm in all the way, bro."

"Thanks, man," John said, clasping hands with his best friend. Letting go of DK's hand, he looked at Olivia and his father and asked, "What about you two?"

"I don't know," Olivia asked.

"You don't know?" Jothee asked incredulously.

Snapping her head towards the Luxan, irritated, she repeated, "No, I _don't_ know. This isn't something I do on a daily basis."

"Liv, you don't have to do this," John softly said.

"Hey," Jothee interrupted.

John snapped his head around and glared at Jothee. He knew Jothee, Aeryn, and Crais were all thinking the same thing – that Olivia might give them away. But Aeryn and Crais knew that John trusted her. It was enough for Aeryn, but he would have to watch Crais. Turning his attention back to Olivia, he said, "Livvy?"

"Well, I'm already involved," she sighed rubbing her eyes. "I was the moment I met Chiana. But I still don't like it."

"I know," John responded, reaching out to give her arm a gentle squeeze. Looking at his father, he asked, "Dad?"

Taking a breath, he said, "I've loved my country for as long as I've lived. But I can't live with Chiana and Natalie being stuck in prisons just because they know about technology that Earth doesn't know how to use and recreate yet."

"Thanks, Dad," John softly said. Jack nodded in response.

"Which one of you will deliver the generator?" Crais suddenly asked. He brought the conversation back to topic as he usually did.

"I'll do it," Jack answered matter of factly. "I see Natalie on a pretty regular basis, so the guards won't suspect a thing."

"But _when_ are you going to do this?" Olivia asked. "There's no point in talking about the 'who, what, where, and why' if we don't get to the 'when'."

"The sooner the better," Aeryn said.

"Tonight," John suggested. "Sometime in the middle of the night. Once we cut the power, the guards won't be able to see a thing."

"Do you have night vision?" DK asked.

"Yeah, night vision monocles," John answered. "But they won't work in an EMP field; too many electronics. The same goes for our pulse pistols." Turning to Aeryn, he added, "We'll need to teach you guys how to use our weapons – pistols, shotguns, that sort of thing." Aeryn nodded affirmatively.

"We'll also have to come up with something to keep my truck in the parking garage overnight," Jack said.

"How's the radiator?" John suddenly asked.

"It's still stops working every once in a while," he answered, a knowing grin growing on his face.

"What does a non-functional whatever it was you said have anything to do with what we're talking about?" Jothee asked.

"Without a working radiator, the engine will overheat," Jack answered. "Which means, if I see Natalie pretty close to when visiting hours end, by the time I get picked up and get the chance to get some radiator sealant to fix my truck, the prison will be closed to the public. I'll be forced to leave my truck there."

"How big is the bomb, anyway?" DK asked.

"It is not a bomb," Crais answered, punching in commands on the table and bringing up a holo-projection of the electromagnetic pulse generator.

"That's about the size of a Coke bottle," Olivia commented, studying the projected image.

"It shouldn't be too hard to hide it in the bed of my Chevy," Jack commented.

"But I would not recommend physical contact with the device," Zhaan said, walking into the room. Coming to a stop beside Jack as she studied the projection, she added, "It uses partanium as a fuel source. The element is highly radioactive and we have few materials on either Moya or Talyn that can protect you."

"Partanium?" DK asked, glancing back and forth between Zhaan, Aeryn, and Crais. "Is that like plutonium or uranium?"

"Yeah, but it's more unstable," John answered. Looking at Zhaan, he asked, "Can you come up with a concoction to protect my dad?"

"Yes, I believe so," she answered.

John nodded, then asked, "Can you also come up with a tranquilizer? We'll need it since we'll have to shut off our pulse weapons as soon as we get into the building."

"Yes, of course," Zhaan answered. "But any tranquilizer I can create by tonight will have to be injected directly into the person. There will not be enough time to create a mist strong enough to encompass the entire prison along with enough antidote for us and for Natalie."

"That's fine, Zhaan. Can you also make something that'll dilute chakan oil?"

"John, what the frell are you talking about?" Aeryn blurted out. John could see that Jothee and Crais were thinking the same thing.

Suddenly, he heard his father yell in his ear, "John!"

Startled, he jumped slightly and looked around to see worried looks on everyone's faces, minus Crais' of course. But what struck him was that his father was now at his side. He looked to Aeryn, who had her hand on his arm, silently asking her if he 'zoned' again. She nodded ever so slightly. He closed his eyes, dipping his head, and sighed. He had hoped that he wouldn't zone or black out in front of his family. He didn't want to worry them with what was happening to him. But he was sure they knew something was going on. He was also sure they knew his left eye was different from his right. They would probably assume his blackouts had something to do with that, which would probably make things worse since they had physical proof something was wrong with him.

"John?" Jack asked again.

"I'm fine," he said softly and quickly. Turning back to Aeryn, he tried to get the conversation back to the topic and said, "I don't want anyone to get killed down there. If we dilute the oil just right, it'll retard our pulse weapons' ability to kill but, at full power, the pulse blasts will still have enough of a kinetic impact to wound and knock out those prison guards. And with the way our plans go, we just might need our pulse weapons after the generator cuts out." Turning back to Zhaan, he asked, "So, can you do something like that?"

"I will try," she answered determined.

----------------------------------------------------

It was as beautiful as her father had told her it was. When she was a little girl, her father told her what Earth looked like from outer space and told her stories of what he and the rest of his crew did while in orbit and while on their way to the moon. To see Earth like this herself, from orbit, was something she thought she would never see. Yet here she was, standing inside the nerve center of an alien ship – a gunship – looking out of the windows at the beautiful blue orb, hanging isolated in space. It was an astounding and humbling sight.

She just wished she could enjoy it. In a few hours her father, brother, and his friends would travel back down to that bright blue orb to declare war on the Texas penal system. It would turn them into felons despite the fact that John was just trying to save his friend. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. John and the others on the two Leviathans were trying to hack their way into the United States government's computer system to try to find where Chiana was being held. When they eventually do find her, they'll go back down to rescue her as well. That would most likely turn them all into terrorists and traitors in the eyes of the public – a xenophobic and bigoted public who hated anything that didn't come from Earth and anyone who associated themselves with those who didn't come from Earth.

A part of her also wished John and Natalie had never come back to Earth. It would have made things so much easier for everyone involved. A few hours ago, word had leaked that Commander John Crichton had returned to Earth in a Leviathan named Moya and had brought nearly seventy-five aliens with him, most of whom were still on Moya. Because of everything that had happened and everything that will happen, the entire planet would no longer continue to believe that her brother and Natalie were heroes and that they died doing something they had always dreamed of doing. The entire planet would no longer think of her father as a hero, either, for his mission to the moon. Now, they would only be thought of as threats to Earth.

If they had stayed away, the media would have never latched onto Natalie, Chiana, and Talyn, and now John, Moya, and everyone they brought with them. They never would have used them as a means to prey on the public's fears just to improve their ratings. It seemed all that was ever on TV now were shows about the crews of Talyn and Moya, aliens and outer space in general, and alien abductions and invasions. It was pathetic and was, unfortunately and unsurprisingly, feeding a mass hysteria.

There were religious cults popping up all over the world, saying everything from "It's the end of the world!" to "Bring back Elvis!" If that wasn't bad enough, Michigan Militia wannabe's were popping up all over the world, as well. They were hoarding weapons and supplies and were barricading themselves in compounds in the numerous forests of Earth. No matter which approach they took, they were all paranoid. They were also a bunch of idiots as far as Olivia was concerned.

The general public, however, while still fairly paranoid, didn't go to the extremes that the cults and militias did. They went about their business and their daily lives as if nothing had changed. Although there had been moments (such as the arrival of Moya) of panic and rioting, those moments were few and far between. Of course, in a few hours, that was going to change.

Unexpectedly, she heard the hatch slide open and she turned to see Zhaan walk in. Olivia simply smiled, forgetting momentarily that Zhaan could understand her and she could understand Zhaan. Before leaving Houston for Orlando, John had injected her with translator microbes. They were amazing, but at that moment she hadn't felt like talking much. As Zhaan joined her in the forward section of the bridge, Olivia asked, "Dad and John ask you to come check up on me?"

Smiling, the Delvian answered, "Yes, they were concerned about how you are adjusting."

Crossing her arms, Olivia turned to look back out of the window as she leaned against the one of Talyn's red ribs, then sadly said, "I'm adjusting as well as anyone could when they've been taken away from everything they've every known."

"Even if it was for your own safety?"

"Yeah," she softly answered, then swiped at her eyes to keep a tear from spilling over.

"We all understand how you feel, Olivia. We were all taken away from those we loved… from the homes we still love."

"Look, Zhaan," she started, looking at the Delvian, "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I don't really feel like talking about that right now."

"Of course," she said, bowing her head slightly.

Sighing, Olivia asked, "So, how are things going with the bomb?"

"Things are… proceeding. The generator is nearly complete, and the device is not a bomb."

"Technically, no. But that's not how the people down there are going to see it."

"No, they most likely will not."

"I'm guessing that you've made some kind of potion to keep my dad safe from it?"

"Yes, I have. He should be reasonably safe as long as he does not come into direct contact with the generator."

"Wait," she said, raising a finger and looking incredulously at Zhaan. "_Reasonably_ safe?" Pushing herself off of the rib and stepping toward Zhaan, she asked, "What is _reasonably_ supposed to mean?"

Zhaan closed her eyes and, trying to stay calm, said, "It means I did the best I could with the resources I had."

"Great," Olivia snorted, then leaned against the rib again, looking back out of the window. "I just got my brother back, but now I might lose my father."

"The others will protect him and when he returns I will do all that I can to ensure he does not have radiation poisoning," Zhaan stated, struggling to keep calm.

Olivia turned back to Zhaan and noticed the expression on her face. She looked like she was in pain. Carefully stepping toward Zhaan, she asked, "Are you all right? Should I get one of the others for help?"

Zhaan's eyes shot open, revealing red irises instead of blue. She shoved Olivia against the wall, holding her there. Olivia cringed in pain as she felt electricity shooting through her body from where the Delvian's hands were on her tightening chest.

"Why would I need help?" Zhaan threateningly whispered, standing nose to nose with Olivia.

Olivia was left speechless. Looking into the red eyes of Zhaan was like looking into the eyes of a psychopath, and it terrified her beyond belief. Then, as suddenly as Zhaan had struck, she backed off and had a lost look on her face. Her eyes also returned to their original blue. She slowly backed away from Olivia, walking back between the override consoles.

Olivia rubbed her chest where Zhaan had held her and exasperatedly asked, "What the hell was that?"

"I am sorry," she softly said, grabbing onto the right override console to help steady herself.

"I thought you were supposed to be a Priest," Olivia stated, slowly walking toward Zhaan.

"I was," she quietly answered, turning her head to look at Olivia, a sorrowful look on her face.

"You were?" She slowly approached her, laying a gentle hand on the Delvian's back, and asked, "What happened?"

After a beat, Zhaan closed her eyes with a sigh and answered, "My dark impulses overcame me."

"Your dark impulses?" Olivia asked, kneeling on the deck. "I don't understand."

"I was a savage – an anarchist – before I was taken prisoner by the Peacekeepers," she whispered. She sank down to the deck, her composure slowly returning and said, "Then, I began on the path of the Delvian Seek. The Goddess helped me to control those impulses. But over a cycle ago, all that I had accomplished was taken away from me. I was forced to become a savage again."

"That's why you attacked me?"

Zhaan slowly nodded, "Over the past cycle, I have striven to control those impulses again. But at times, they overwhelm me."

"Like now."

"Yes."

Sighing, Olivia asked, "Do the others know about this? Does my brother know?"

"They all know."

"Then why are they letting you come down with us? I mean, is it such a good idea?"

"I have no choice," she sighed, closing her eyes. "There might be injured once we infiltrate the prison. I have to be there to help them. And the proportions for the explosives we will use have to be just right to detonate. I'm the only one who can accurately mix the two chemicals."

"The explosives? You mean the shape charges you guys were talking about?"

"Yes," she answered with a nod.

It was still unbelievable to Olivia that the gentle Priestess sitting in front of her, on the verge of a breakdown, was capable of the violent behavior she had implied she was. If she hadn't witnessed the other side of Zhaan's nature firsthand, she never would have believed it. But Zhaan's actions, and now her admission that she was the only one who could mix explosives, were firsthand proof of what the Delvian was truly capable of.

"It's not right," Olivia whispered, gently rubbing Zhaan's back. "Not with what you're going through." It was also just plain stupid to bring Zhaan down to the surface since she was a danger to those around her. If she was capable of harming a new friend, then what else was she capable of, especially when faced with violence from others?

"Things do not always work out as we hope they would," Zhaan softly said.

"Liv, Zhaan," they suddenly heard John say over the comms.

"We're here, John," Olivia responded.

"It's time."

"We'll be right down."


	13. Chapter 11

Smiling, Natalie picked up the phone and said, "Hey, Jack."

"How are ya, Natalie?" Jack asked cheerfully.

Resting her forearm on the small desk in front of her and leaning forward in her chair, she answered, "Oh, I'm just peachy. But you're a day early." Chuckling, she added, "You know, when you said you'd try to get here sooner, I thought you meant sooner as in a few hours before visiting hours ended. You getting here just before visiting hours are over but a day early isn't exactly what I had in mind." She thought, _I hope this means good news._

"Well, I've got some good news that couldn't wait until tomorrow," he said, smiling back at her.

_Speak of the devil,_ she thought. However, she wouldn't get her hopes up. It seemed like whenever she did, those hopes were dashed not too long after. It was 'Murphy's Law', and it seemed as if she and John were now 'Murphy's' two favorite punching bags. "So, what's the good news?"

"Moya's here."

"What?" she blurted out, scooting forward in her seat.

"Moya's here, Natalie," Jack repeated, his smile growing wider. "She arrived about three days ago."

"Three days?"

"Yeah, they spent forty-eight hours in quarantine and got out a few hours ago."

"Wait…" she trailed off, looking off to the side, confused. "I spent almost a week in the rat cage and they only spent two days? I'm missing something here."

"Yeah, you are," Jack unhappily said. "John made a deal with Generals Sloane and Bourne."

"Shit," Natalie mumbled, tilting her head down and reaching up the rub the bridge of her nose. Looking up at Jack and trying to keep calm, she said, "I'm guessing he gave Sloane some of our tech?"

"Yeah," Jack answered. "John offered Sloane and Bourne technology and his help in reverse engineering it in exchange for complete autonomy while on Earth and a shortened stay in quarantine."

"Dammit," she softly barked, letting her arm fall onto the desk with a sigh. She smoothed her hair back and added, "I've spent all this time trying to keep Sloane from getting anything he wants, and John just hands him exactly what he _shouldn't_ have. Does John even know that it's one of my prowlers Sloane wants help with?"

"No, he doesn't know," he answered, looking down and shaking his head. Looking back up, he added, "He doesn't need to know, either, Natalie."

"Jack, you're not making sense."

"He's doing this for you, Natalie. He's doing this to try to help you."

"How can _that_ help me?" _Unless he was lying his ass off,_ Natalie suddenly realized, then suddenly looked away in thought. He needed to be able to work on Earth without the military knowing about it. Which meant he was coming after her soon. She looked back at Jack, a questioning look in her eye.

He nodded slightly in response, hoping the cameras in the room hadn't seen him. Then, continuing the act, he said, "He's doing this with your best interests in mind."

"Yeah, good ol' John," she said, smiling with a chuckle. "Always doing what he thinks is right, and too damn stubborn to see the other side."

"Yeah, he can be that," Jack agreed with a chuckle of his own.

"So, when do you think I can see him? All of them?"

"I'd say real soon," he answered, then quickly glanced down at his watch.

Natalie followed the movement and saw his watch on his right wrist. She hadn't noticed that it wasn't on his left wrist, as usually. It was upside down on his right wrist, as well. Looking at the hands, they were set for 3:00. Looking closer at the watch, she looked at the small twenty-four hour clock at the bottom of the watch face – it was set for 3:00 am. The date was set for Tuesday the twenty-sixth. She had only another ten hours and fifteen minutes before they came for her.

Looking back up into his eyes, she said, "I can hardly wait to see them."

"I don't doubt it."

"So, how's Jason been dealing with all of this?"

"Well…" he started with a chuckle. "He's been dealing with it like any teenager would. He thinks everything revolves around him and that he can do anything he wants."

"He's fourteen, Jack," she said, smiling. "We were all like that at his age."

"Don't I know it," he replied, chucking again. "You know you're lucky you only have to parent one teenager. Try parenting three."

"I think I'll pass."

"You don't want anymore kids?"

"Well… why don't you try pulling a watermelon through an orifice the size of your butt and see how you like it," she answered lightheartedly. She didn't want to tell him that she thought it would be a crime to raise a child in the Uncharted Territories. She hated the idea of taking Jason with her because of that, but if things were going to go the way she thought, she didn't have any other choice.

"I'll pass, too."

"That's what I thought." Sighing, she asked, "Seriously, though… How is Jason?"

"Well, he's glad to be back up on Talyn again. But he wishes Moya had gotten here sooner so John or one of the others could give him a lift up there."

"Well, getting kneecapped by someone at your school will do that to you," she sighed. Jason should never have been put in that situation. But her mother had felt that he didn't need to be sent to a private school or to be home schooled. She thought he would be fine at his old public school because there had never been problems before. But her mother always had been an optimist when it came to human nature. That had changed, though, when a group of jocks used Jason's patella for batting practice, and when the 'good townsfolk' made life hell for her.

"Yeah, it will," Jack softly said. "But Zhaan took a look at his knee and fixed him up. It's like it was never broken."

"I'll bet he's happy about that," she said, a soft smile on her face.

"Yeah, he is. It's given him a chance to use your punching bag."

She let out an amused huff and said, "That's why I got it."

"Visiting hours will end in five minutes," they heard over the intercom.

"That old cliché…" Natalie trailed off.

"Yeah," Jack said softly. "But I'll see you same time next week, Natalie."

"Same time next week?" she asked, arching an eyebrow. She knew he was lying, but they went through this same conversation almost every time he came to visit her. It would be pretty careless not to repeat it now.

"I'll try to get here earlier," he laughed.

"Sure," she smirked.

"And you can bet John'll be here, too."

"I can hardly wait."

----------------------------------------------------

Walking out of the elevator into the parking garage, Jack resisted the urge to look over his shoulder and glance about the immediate area. He was being paranoid, but anyone would be if they had been drugged by a squad of Deltas and then got caught hiding an alien. Ever since that incident, if he was alone, he found himself looking over his shoulder at almost every turn. If it had been a mugger who had knocked him out, it wouldn't have been a big deal. But it was the military, and they knew he was the one who had hidden Chiana. Yet they'd done nothing about it after they took her into 'custody'. It had been nearly a week since that incident and they had done nothing. But he knew they would move on him eventually; he just hoped it wasn't in the next few minutes. Otherwise, his family, his son's friends, Natalie, Natalie's family, and Chiana were all screwed.

He also hoped the gel Zhaan had concocted and poured into his radiator had burned a hole through the metal and would accelerate the overheating as planned. She told him that the gel was made from all-natural components and was heat activated. It was supposed to leave no traces that the radiator had been sabotaged, just in case someone at the facility decided to take a look and try to help before he could leave. Instead, it was supposed to mix with the coolant and circulate around the engine, causing it to overheat faster.

John said that the Delvian's creations had never failed them, and he trusted that the explosives she made would work as expected. If John trusted her that much, then Jack trusted her as well. But he still had his doubts. He just hadn't experienced this form of 'natural' technology firsthand.

As he approached his truck, Jack glanced at the bed and tried to keep from looking too suspicious. A few hours ago, inside his garage at home, they had attached the E.M.P. generator to the bottom of the bed along with a remote activation switch. He hoped the overnight security checks wouldn't find it before they could set it off.

Getting into the truck, he kept his eye on the temperature gauge and slid the key into the ignition and turned it. He let the engine run for a moment while he grabbed his briefcase, opened it, and pretended to look through it as he watched the needle on the gauge slowly rise. A small grin grew on his face while watching the gauge, and he closed his briefcase, setting it over on the passenger's seat.

He put on his seatbelt, then shifted the truck into gear, backing out of the parking space. He shifted into first and made his way around the parking structure and up the ramps leading to the first parking level. By the second level, the needle was already past 'redline' and, knowing his truck, he was sure that by the time he reached the first level the engine would be dead.

As if on cue, steam began to billow from behind the grill and under the hood as he made his way up the ramp to the first level. With the steam increasing in volume, he was beginning to worry if his struggling truck would even make it up to the first level. Fortunately it did.

He quickly turned into the first available parking space, then shut off his engine and reached down to pull the latch, releasing the hood. Stepping out of his truck, Jack kept up the charade with a frustrated look on his face as he walked to the front of his truck and lifted the hood.

"Dammit," he nearly shouted as he waved at the steam rising from the radiator. He hoped he hadn't yelled that too loud, though. Acting never was one of his strong suits.

Almost from out of nowhere, one of the prison guards strolled up to him and asked, "What's going on, Jack?"

Jack recognized that voice. He hoped this wasn't a bad sign. Plastering a fake smile on his face, Jack turned to the young man and stated, "Dan Jacobs." Shaking Dan's hand, he asked, "How long has it been?"

"At least ten years, sir," he answered smiling. His smile faltered, though, as he added, "Not since Susan left me."

That was a lie of course, except for the part about Susan leaving him. They had seen each other just the other day when Dan gave him the blueprints for the prison, no questions asked. They agreed to say otherwise if anyone had asked, and if they saw each other again in a public place.

Keeping up with the act, Jack sadly answered, "Yeah, I remember." Jack always did like Dan but, unfortunately, he hadn't been what Susan needed during that time in her life. He also tended to be too annoyingly nice on occasion, and Jack hoped he had outgrown that. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to leave his truck in the parking garage overnight as planned. That part of the plan was something that Jack wouldn't tell Dan; he didn't want to get him involved.

"So, you got a problem with your truck?"

"Yeah," Jack answered, glancing at the engine and happy for the change in subject. He was sure Dan was happy, too. Susan seemed to be a sore subject for a lot of people lately.

"Your radiator?" Dan asked, walking around the truck to look under the hood.

"Yeah, it tends to break down every once in awhile," he answered. Jack hoped that Dan wouldn't offer to allow him back into the parking garage after he called Olivia to come pick him up. If Dan did, then they would have to come up with another plan for leaving the generator behind.

Looking up from the radiator, Dan said, "I wish I could help you out here, Jack."

"Yeah, me, too," he lied. Trying to act normally, Jack asked, "Do you think you could let me back in here in a little while? It won't take very long for Olivia to come pick me up and bring some coolant with her."

"I'm sorry, Jack, but I can't do that. All visitors have to be off the grounds by five. I'm violating policy by not escorting you to the front gate right now. You're going to have to leave it here. You can come back for it tomorrow morning. I'm sorry, Jack, but those are the rules."

"That's all right, son, I understand." Jack was also relieved beyond belief, but he didn't show it. He just hoped Olivia wouldn't leave him standing in front of the prison for too long before she came to pick him up.

"C'mon, I'll take you to the front gate."

----------------------------------------------------

Using a small wooded area for cover, Jothee and the Ilanic, Zell, crept toward an access road, on the other side of which was the front gate of the prison. With their night vision monocles they could see a guard on duty in a booth large enough to hold four at the gate and some of the guards patrolling the grounds. They needed to take out six guards on patrol before the transport pod could fly in. Otherwise, any one of them could alert the local enforcers or the military since they were all patrolling outside the radius of the electromagnetic pulse.

Using hand signals, Jothee let Zell know they would attack in ten microts as planned. They both wished they had more help for the attack, though. But they were the only two whose venom sacks hadn't been removed while in captivity, and Zhaan had created so little of the tranquilizer that they needed to save it for the numerous guards patrolling the interior of the building. That, and Zell was the only one who was willing to do this job for the money that had been offered.

Nodding to Zell, Jothee crouched down and ran out of the woods and across the street, staying within the shadows and out of the light from the street lamps lining the four-lane road. He came to the outer chain-link fence surrounding the grounds and sneaked along it until he reached the guardhouse, quietly planting his back against it beneath the reinforced window. He hoped the enforcer inside hadn't heard the qualta blade strapped against his spine bump up against the wood shack.

He crouched down, walking along the grass, made his way around the guardhouse, and stopped at the door. Getting on his knees, he peered through the window. The single guard inside was sitting on a stool reading some kind of publication and hadn't noticed him. Ducking back down below the window, Jothee noticed the hinges on the door and saw that it opened out. If he kicked in the door, then it would break off the hinges, and anyone happening by would know someone was there.

Walking backwards along the shack and around the corner, Jothee reached around and slammed his fist against the window in the door, cracking it; he hoping the enforcer was either curious enough or stupid enough to leave his post to see what hit the glass. Fortunately, the guard was curious enough and he got up and opened the door to check things out.

Jothee instantly popped up and elbowed the enforcer in the nose, breaking it and causing him to stagger back into the guardhouse. But before Jothee could 'sting' him, the guard, blood streaming out of his nostrils, pulled his gun from its holster and tried to aim it at the young Luxan. Jothee grabbed the man's arm, twisting it around, and forced him to drop the weapon and turn his body sideways. He then quickly kneed the guard in the gut and the man bent over from the blow, wrapping his arm protectively around his abdomen.

Before Jothee could try to 'sting' him again in the back of the neck, the enforcer reached into his belt, pulled out his telescoping baton, extending it, and whipped it across Jothee's knee. The hybrid let go of the guard's arm and dropped to one knee in surprise and pain. Cringing, he looked up only to see the guard straighten up and drive the baton into his collarbone. Jothee dropped to the floor, clutching it in agony.

"Frell!" he yelled, rolling over onto his back and catching the enforcer by surprise. It was almost as if the man hadn't noticed that Jothee wasn't human until that moment.

"What the fuck are you?" the guard asked, lowering his defenses, a confused and disgusted look on his face.

Jothee suddenly brought his leg up, rolling back onto his shoulders, and kicked the guard in the gut, knocking him back against the console behind him. He had a clear shot at the enforcer and could have stung him with his tongue, but now he just wanted the guard to hurt as much as he did.

Jothee rolled over and stood up as the guard gathered himself and tried to charge him, ready to beat him with the baton. But Jothee grabbed both of his arms and twisted them around, forcing the guard to drop his baton, then head-butted him in the nose again, causing him to cry out in pain. Still holding the guard's arms, Jothee brought up his leg and powerfully kicked him in the chest, pushing him back against the console and dislocating both his arms.

Letting go of the enforcer's arms, Jothee quickly moved in on him with an elbow across the jaw, followed by a quick elbow into the gut, then a left hook across the cheek, knocking him to the floor.

Panting, Jothee looked down at the enforcer, who was trying to get onto his knees, then slowly pulled his qualta blade from the sheath strapped along his spine. Ignoring the fear he saw in the man's eyes, the Luxan held the grip with both hands and lowered the blade. He raised it back, then swung it across the guard's head, slamming the flat of the blade against his temple. He knocked the man out, sending him flying across the room. Unfortunately, he landed on top of the panic button on the console on the other side of the booth. Sirens suddenly blared all over the prison grounds.

"Frell," Jothee mumbled.


	14. Chapter 12

"Jothee, what the hell is going on over there?" John shouted into the comms, sitting up on the edge of his seat the moment he heard the sirens blare.

Looking out of the forward portals of the transport pod, John, Aeryn, and Zhaan watched as every exterior light came on and several guards, armed with pistols, tasers, or stun-bag guns, converged on a single location. Jothee and Zell were both stronger than humans, but there was no way they would be able to take on three guards each, possibly more now that the panic button had been pushed.

"I told you it wouldn't work," Aeryn said from the pilot's seat, starting the engines. Jothee and Zell were both too impulsive to handle a job like the one they had been tasked to do.

"Well, you can call me on it as much as you want later," John stated, sitting back in his seat. "But we gotta get over there _now_."

Aeryn immediately increased power to the transport's engines, lifting it off the deserted side street where they were hiding, but just high enough to retract the landing struts and extend the main engine pods. She lowered the craft to mere denches off the pavement and flew over the street, banking left and flying the quarter mile toward the prison. Flying along the street, it was hoped that the local radar operators would mistake the pod for ground clutter – very large ground clutter – and not alert the military.

As they approached the prison, they saw that the outer and inner gates had been pushed open and were hanging at odd angles. Further in, they saw Jothee and Zell doing their best to hold off the prison guards, never giving the guards the chance to use their guns and tasers.

Aeryn put the transport in a sharp left turn and flew it through the open gates, trying to keep up their appearance as a ground vehicle. However, the craft was wider than the opening. The treblin side engine pod slammed into the guardhouse, shattering it, the wood raining down on top of the unconscious guard on the floor inside. The hammond side of the craft tore the hanging gates off their tracks and ripped off a nine-foot section of the outer fence and a seven-foot section of the inner fence. The outer gate caught on the transport's forward hammond side landing strut, the inner gate catching on the central landing strut, while the outer fence section caught on the engine pod and the inner fence section fell to the ground. The transport dragged both sections the entire distance to the facility, igniting sparks as they scraped the concrete.

As they flew past the fight taking place on the ground Zhaan leaned over the steering column and firmly asked, "Aeryn, what are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" she answered.

"Jothee and Zell need us."

"We don't have time to go back," Aeryn stated, glancing back at Zhaan. "We don't have the manpower, either."

"John?" Zhaan anxiously asked, looking at her human friend.

"She's right, Zhaan," John answered immediately, but sadly. They couldn't risk going after the two. It would slow them down and time was something they didn't have, especially now that the alarms had been tripped.

Defeated, Zhaan stood back and waited for Aeryn to land the pod.

Reaching the large knoll in front of a side entrance, Aeryn retracted the engine pods and extended the landing struts, forcing the sections of fence they had dragged to fall away. As she did so, John activated his comms and said, "Get ready and shut off all your electronic gear."

As soon as Aeryn landed, she immediately began to shut down all systems while John pulled a small, pen-shaped remote out of the pouch on his belt, his thumb on the trigger atop the remote. Once all systems were shut down completely, Aeryn nodded to John and he pressed the trigger.

----------------------------------------------------

"Jothee, what the hell is going on over there?" the young Luxan heard over the comms as he pushed the inner gate open, tearing it from its track. However, he was too busy to answer. An enforcer was running toward him over a grassy knoll ahead of him, a baton in hand. Four other enforcers followed some distance behind.

He signaled to Zell to come up, then charged at the enforcer, running to the knoll. Nearing the guard, Jothee suddenly dropped to the grassy ground and slid feet first. The human didn't have enough time to react and Jothee knocked his feet out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground, dropping his baton. Spinning around on the ground, Jothee tried to kick him in the side of the head, but the human ducked, grabbed Jothee's calf, and tried to punch him in the groin. Instead, Jothee twisted his free leg around the guard's arm, keeping him from throwing another punch. Twisting around slightly, his leg still around the man's arm, Jothee immediately threw a hard kick into the enforcer's side, knocking the wind out of him and forcing him to let go of Jothee.

As the human released his leg, Jothee let go of the prison guard's leg, then rolled back and stood up. He immediately massaged his tailbone and staggered back a bit in pain because the tip of the qualta blade had dug into him while he rolled back.

Unfortunately, that hesitation gave the enforcer time to recover and find his baton. He grabbed it and stood up swinging. Reacting quickly, Jothee jerked his hips back to avoid the baton, then quickly threw a punch across the human's jaw as he straightened out. The guard ignored the blow and the pain and swung his baton back around. Jothee blocked his arm, his hand at the inside of the human's elbow. He then reached across with his other hand and wrapped it around the enforcer's hand and forced him to hit himself in the forehead with the baton. The guard stumbled back slightly, a gash on his forehead, but Jothee didn't let go of. He pulled the man back to make him hit himself again, but the guard gave a quick kick to Jothee's gut, forcing the Luxan to release him and wrap his arms around his abdomen as he cringed in pain. He stumbled back slightly, giving the guard a chance to regroup.

The guard came up on Jothee, wiping the blood away from his forehead. He raised his baton over his head and brought it down hard on Jothee's already bruised collarbone.

"Frell!" Jothee yelled, spinning around and dropping to one knee as he reached up to cradle his fractured left collarbone.

The human threw his arm back and quickly stepped around to Jothee's right side, grabbing just below the tip of the baton with his other hand. He slammed it as hard as he could into Jothee's side. Arching to his side, Jothee let out a bellow and stumbled to the ground on his side, writhing in pain, his hands planted on the side of his abdomen. As the enforcer stepped up behind Jothee, standing over him and raising his baton for another strike, Jothee reached over his head and unsheathed his father's qualta blade. He quickly raised it above his head just in time to block the strike with the flat of the blade.

Pushing the baton away, Jothee rolled over as fast as he could and swung out his legs, spinning around on his hip and kicking the guard's legs out from under him. He tossed the qualta blade to his left hand and painfully brought it back and swung it around with a muffled yell, trying to slam the flat of the blade across the enforcer's midsection. The guard rolled away just in time, but was still slashed across his right arm. Cradling his wounded arm, the human tried to get up, but the hybrid spun around on his hip again, kicking the guard across the jaw and knocking him back onto the ground.

Jothee immediately stood up, sheathed his blade, and grabbed the enforcer by the collar with his right hand, lifting him from the ground. He violently pulled the human's torso down as he drove his knee into the man's gut, knocking the wind out of him.

Seeing something out of the corner of his eye, Jothee glanced to his left and saw another enforcer aiming a weapon at him. He quickly spun around, pulling the enforcer in front of him, then rolled away as two metallic electrodes suddenly attached themselves to the enforcer's chest. The guard immediately went into a seizure as the taser pistol sent twenty-six watts of electricity through his body. As the prison guard fell back onto the ground, still convulsing, Jothee came out of his roll and twisted around, landing on his side with a cringe of pain and shot his tongue out at the other guard. The Luxan's tongue stung the man in the neck and knocked him out.

Glancing a few motras behind him, he watched as Zell dealt with two guards at the same time. The Ilanic seemed to be handling himself fairly well, but two at the same time was still pushing his limits. One of the guards also had an empty holster on his hip.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jothee suddenly saw the fifth enforcer running up to him with a baton in hand. He allowed the human to run up to him, but before the guard could get close enough to swing his baton, Jothee rolled back, raising his feet over his head, and kicked the guard in the gut, knocking him back onto his butt.

Jerking his legs back down, Jothee kicked himself up and spun around, holding his blade against his side, in time to see the enforcer standing up as well, his baton still in hand.

"Damn, you're one ugly fucker, ain'tcha?" the human said, disgusted.

Jothee stood there dumbfounded and said, "You want to stand there like that, giving me a chance to come over there and kick you up the mivonks, just so you could say how ugly you think I am?" Lowering his qualta blade, he rolled his eyes with an incredulous huff and added, "How much of a frelling idiot are you anyway?"

"What?" the guard asked, confused.

"Did you actually think I was going to speak your language?" he asked. He rolled his eyes again, then shot his tongue out at the enforcer.

Unexpectedly, the human caught Jothee's tongue, raised his baton, then violently tugged on his tongue, jerking Jothee toward him and causing him to drop his blade. Once Jothee was close enough, the enforcer tried to bring the baton down on the Luxan's shoulder. But Jothee raised his arm, blocking the weapon with his forearm as he grabbed the guard's other arm. Almost instantly, he brought his fist down across the human's head, his thumb slamming into the man's temple. He forced the guard to release his tongue and sent him to the ground in a daze.

Hearing the transport pod's engines nearing, he pulled his tongue back into his mouth as he looked up from the enforcer to the front gate. He watched as it destroyed the guardhouse and portions of the outer and inner fences, dragging sections of them along the ground.

While distracted, Jothee had his legs kicked out from under him by the enforcer who was still on the ground. He landed hard on his back, but ignored the pain and shot onto his knees and lunged forward onto the human, grabbing his collar and punching him across the cheek.

The enforcer suddenly brought his legs up and wrapped them around Jothee's neck, pushing him down onto the ground and chocking him. Sitting up, he raised his baton, then brought it down across Jothee's abdomen, causing him to cough as he already gasped for air.

"Get ready and shut off all your electronic gear," Jothee and Zell heard Crichton say over the comms.

Almost immediately, he pulled back his leg then plowed the heel of his boot into the guard's face. The human let go of the Luxan as he raised his hands to his face and slowly rolled away in pain. Once released, Jothee instantly shut off his comms, then stood up and approached the guard who was still dazed. The hybrid shot out his tongue and knocked the guard out.

Suddenly, a thunderous bang rang out from the main building and the sirens and the lights shut off, leaving the immediate area in darkness and silence. However, light was still visible through several windows in the upper floors. The generator worked as the others said it would and emitted an EMP field a little over twenty-seven motras in all directions.

Without warning, three more bangs rang out, the last two almost simultaneously. Jothee looked toward the prison and saw several people running into the side entrance. He quickly turned around as another bang rang out with a bright flash behind him. The flash illuminated the area momentarily, making visible an enforcer firing a weapon at Zell. The guard fired three more times. In the light, Jothee watched as Zell fell to the ground, blood flowing from five through-and-through wounds in his upper body.

In the ensuing darkness, Jothee yelled and ran toward the guard as the human aimed his weapon. Before he could fire, Jothee grabbed the man's arm, pushing it up, then rammed his knee into the enforcer's abdomen. The guard keeled over, his arm wrapped around his abdomen, coughing and gasping for air while Jothee held him up. The Luxan immediately reached up to the pistol and wrapped his hand around the human's as he yanked down the man's arm, bending it. Baring his teeth, he pressed the barrel of the pistol under the man's right jaw line, then fired. Pieces of skull and gray matter flew through the air as the bullet exited the enforcer's head.

Jothee took the pistol, then let go of the guard's lifeless corpse, letting it fall unceremoniously to the ground. Stuffing the pistol into the front of his belt, Jothee looked around for Zell's body. He first came across the body of another enforcer. The human's neck had been broken, his head turned at an odd angle. Looking further to the right, he found Zell's body.

With a sigh, Jothee began walking towards the Ilanic's body. He didn't get halfway there before another gunshot rang out. Shot in the back, the Luxan fell over with a bullet lodged in right side of his abdomen.

The sixth guard had finally arrived at the area after having been patrolling the grounds on the other side of the facility. His gun still leveled at Jothee, the enforcer slowly approached the hybrid's seemingly lifeless body as he lay on his left side on the ground. However, once at Luxan's the feet, Jothee quickly rolled over onto his back, pulling the pistol from his belt, and fired at the human. Five bullets tore through the human's body and knocked him off his feet, sending him to the ground in a bloody heap.

Once the human's body hit the ground, Jothee relaxed and let his arm drop to his side. He slowly reached over to check his wound, gently probing the hole made by the bullet. He flinched in pain and let out a soft groan, then, with a sigh, let his body go limp and said, "Frell."

----------------------------------------------------

As soon as everything outside had shut down, nine people armed with pulse pistols, explosives, and syringes filled with sedatives flowed out of the transport pod and quickly made their way in the darkness to a side entrance of the prison. They gathered into the alcove around a sold metal door, five on one side, four on the other.

John glanced at Aeryn on the other side of the door from him and nodded to her, then took a breath and grabbed a mechanical concussion grenade as Aeryn did the same. His finger around the pin ready to pull it, John looked toward Zhaan, standing behind Aeryn, then nodded and said, "Do it."

At John's word, Zhaan moved around Aeryn into the alcove, took hold of the sprayer at her side on a shoulder strap, and sprayed a thin line of foam around the lock on the door. Letting the sprayer drop to her side, Zhaan pulled a syringe from a satchel at her other side, injected a small amount of chemical into the foam, then spun away as everyone else turned away. Almost immediately, the foam ignited, blinding the immediate area with bright, intense sparks flying everywhere, and burned its way through the metal door, the lock falling to the ground with a loud clank.

As Zhaan stepped back, John and Aeryn stepped into the alcove, pulling the pins on their grenades. John threw the door open and they both tossed their grenades inside, shutting the door behind them as they ran back out of the alcove. A microt later, both grenades exploded, one right after the other, blowing the door wide open with smoke pouring out of the doorway.

The nine rushed into the smoke-filled room, hearing coughing and soft moans from the people who were inside. As the smoke cleared, they found three guards on the floor behind the security desk and immediately sedated them and disarmed them of their Berettas and Sig Sauers, and extra magazines. John, Aeryn, and a Tavlek took the weapons and their corresponding magazines for themselves. Suddenly, they heard a gunshot outside. Glancing at each other, they all wondered if Jothee and Zell were all right. They jumped as another three gunshots rang out.

Both John and Zhaan immediately made their way to the door, but Aeryn ran around them, blocking their path, and said, "We don't have time for this."

Another gunshot rang out, and Zhaan stated impatiently, "Aeryn, Jothee and Zell may be hurt. We must check on them."

"Yes, they may be hurt, but we have less than a quarter arn to get Grant and leave. If we don't do that in less than a quarter arn, then a lot more of us will be hurt."

"Aeryn's right, Zhaan," John said softly before a sixth shot rang out. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, then looked toward Zhaan in the darkness and added, "We can't afford to go back for Jothee and Zell and we can't afford to split up. We need everyone where they are to break Natalie out."

As another five shots rang out, Zhaan closed her eyes in silent prayer. Opening her eyes, she sadly replied, "Very well."

"They'll be all right, Zhaan," John reassured, giving her arm a gentle squeeze.

"C'mon, we're running out of time," Aeryn stated, jogging around the two.

With John and Zhaan following, Aeryn jogged around the security desk and joined the rest of their team. The nine made their way to the short hall at the back of the room containing four elevator doors and, at the very end of the hall, a door to the staircase. But before they got two motras, they heard the distinct sounds of shotguns being cocked at the other end of the hall.


	15. Chapter 13

Once her eyes had adjusted to the dark, Natalie had kept watch on the clock since 'lights out' and waited. Unfortunately time, as always, seemed to have taken forever to pass. Of course, it hadn't helped that she had trouble getting at least some desperately needed sleep; it was hard to sleep, knowing that her friends would be coming for her, even if she had to wait five hours for them to arrive.

It was also hard to sleep knowing that if she did anything to wake up the others in her cell they would cause problems she didn't need. Actually, after the incident that had taken place five days ago in the TV room, the other women in the prison had made her life even more of a living hell than it already had been. But unlike the months before, Natalie hadn't cared one bit. She had fought back, but made sure none of the guards saw her to ensure that she wasn't sent to the hole. But tonight was different. If she did anything to wake up the other women in her cell, then all of her friends' planning would go straight down the toilet and she would never get out of jail. Speaking of the toilet, she really needed to take a piss.

Natalie glanced at the clock and saw that in just a few seconds it would be 3:00. Turning away from the clock, she kept her eyes on the bunk above her and, apparently, waited for nothing – 3:00 a.m. came and went. Given the way her friends worked, she had expected explosions and lots of gunfire by now. She hoped nothing had gone wrong and that they were still coming.

Suddenly, she heard the alarm go off and shut her eyes as the lights came on in her cell along with red flashing lights. Slowly opening her eyes to adjust them to the light, she listened to the sirens and commented, "This is new."

Propping herself up on her elbows, Natalie looked around the cell at the other eleven inmates who were waking up and looking around themselves. Some of them began asking who was trying to escape and why they hadn't heard about it until now when "the bitch" got caught. The other inmates then got out of bed, gathered in the center of the cell around the stainless steel table and talked about various things as the sirens continued for several more minutes. Natalie simply sat up and switched her glance between the door and clock.

Suddenly, a loud bang came from one of the levels beneath them and all talking stopped as the lights went out and the sirens fell silent.

"This is even better," Natalie mumbled with a smirk, looking around the dark room as the other women started talking again.

The arrival of prison guards brought all talking to a halt. Six prison guards opened the cell door and poured inside with taser pistols and three stun-bag shotguns. They yelled at the prisoners to get down on the ground with their arms spread out, while four of them (one with a taser, the other three with stun-bag guns) set up a perimeter around the cell. The other two guards went straight for Natalie.

_Dammit_, she thought.

Once in front of her, one guard held his taser on Natalie and the other walked around her, holstering his taser. He knelt on the floor and handcuffed her wrists behind her back. Natalie suspected they thought they didn't have time to put her in shackles. They helped her up and escorted her out of the cell, the other four guards falling back behind them and locking the door once out of the cell.

_Where are they taking me?_ she thought as they walked down a hall. _It can't hurt,_ she added. "What the hell's going on?" she asked. She didn't want them thinking she had any idea her friends had come for her. "And where are you taking me?"

"Eyes front; keep quiet," the guard holding onto her arm stated.

_Prick_, she thought. She had to admit, though, that she wasn't surprised. She knew he wouldn't give her an answer, but she had to ask anyway.

Four gunshots suddenly rang out outside near the yard, causing Natalie to jump slightly. They all stopped in the hall and the guard holding onto her ordered three guards (two with shotguns and another with a taser pistol) to check out what was going on outside. They ran ahead as fast as they could around the next corner as two loud bangs sounded from the floor beneath them.

More gunfire erupted outside after several seconds. Natalie closed her eyes, hoping that everyone was all right. With their luck, though, and with how many people had already died from their actions, she knew in her mind that someone had been hurt or killed.

She also knew that if she didn't do something now, all of her friends would eventually be caught and she and Chiana would both remain in captivity. In other words, they would all be screwed. She had to take out the three guards who were still with her. But they still had two taser pistols and a shotgun, and her hands were still restrained.

Coming to a decision and trying to work out a plan, she glanced at the three men – one next to her holding onto her, one in front of her, and one behind her.

"Move," the senior guard said, tugging on her arm to get her to walk.

"Wait," Natalie let out, standing her ground and looking at the man.

"Keep your eyes front and move!" he yelled, pulling her arm and forcing her to walk.

Looking forward as they turned left, rounding the corner, she rolled her eyes and said, "May I please speak, _sir_?"

"What is it?" he asked, annoyed.

"I just wanted to say that I appreciate all that you guys have done for me since I got here and that I understand y'all are just doing your job right now. I also want to say that I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" he asked, looking at her.

"Yup."

"What for?"

Taking them off balance, Natalie abruptly plowed herself into the guard, shoving him to the side against the wall. She glanced to her left and saw that the guard who had been behind her was pulling his taser pistol out of its holster. She also heard the other guard cocking the stun-bag gun. She immediately threw out her leg in a sidekick to her left to the man's gut, knocking the wind out of him and sending him back against the windows on the other wall. She then dropped to the ground as the other guard fired the shotgun. As she fell, the beanbag flew over her head and hit the senior guard in the face, knocking him out and sending him to the floor in a heap.

Once on the floor, Natalie quickly lifted her legs to her chest, pulling her hands out from behind her and over her legs and feet as she heard the shotgun being cocked. With another beanbag round and not a real shell, she hoped. Out of the corner of her eye to her right, in the moonlight, she saw a taser being aimed at her, then sat up and rolled forward to the other guard in front of her to avoid being hit.

Standing up, Natalie lunged forward toward the guard ahead of her. She grabbed his shotgun as best she could with her hands bound and turned it toward the man, slamming it up into his jaw as hard as she could, his hands still on the gun. He let go of the gun and fell back onto the floor, dazed.

Suddenly, the other guard came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and trapping her arms as he grabbed the shotgun. He tried to tear the gun out of her grasp and throw it away, but Natalie head-butted him, slamming the back of her head into his nose. They both fell to the floor, Natalie onto her knees, cringing in pain, and the guard onto his back as he protectively cradled his broken and bloody nose.

She turned slightly and glared at him as he sat up and reached for his baton. But before he could extend it, Natalie spun around, standing up, and brought the shotgun down across the guard's head. The wood stock broke off, flying away as it impacted with the man's temple. He spun around on his knees and fell onto his stomach, unconscious.

Hearing a groan behind her, Natalie spun around as she let the shotgun slide forward in her hands, then fired off a round at the other prison guard's forehead. He fell back onto the floor, unconscious, the beanbag flopping onto his chest as a purple bruise formed between his eyebrows. It matched the bruise on his jaw where she had hit him with the shotgun.

With a sigh, Natalie looked around at the three prison guards on the floor and softly said, "At least they're not dead."

Natalie raised the shotgun, looking at the broken stock and considering the cuffs on her wrists. _These have got to go,_ she thought, then looked over at the senior guard. She walked over and knelt down beside him, laying the shotgun down next to her. She turned him over to retrieve the key from his handcuff pouch on the back of his belt, then quickly unlocked the cuffs and tossed them aside.

Picking up the shotgun, she pumped the slide and ejected the empty shell. She looked inside the chamber and saw that there were no more beanbag shells. "Shit," she said, dropping the gun.

Looking around the floor for any other weapons, she noticed the taser pistol lying on the floor against the wall below a window. She walked over to it, picked it up, and saw that it hadn't been fired. She aimed it at the floor and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. Inspecting it, she looked for the cartridge and battery releases, then pressed two buttons on either side of the cartridge and pulled it away from the weapon. She then removed a small hatch on the butt of the grip, then turned the weapon over and let the eight batteries fall out. Walking over to the incapacitated officer, she knelt next to him and searched him for another cartridge and extra batteries. Removing two cartridges from a pouch on the back of his belt, she held onto one and placed the other cartridge in the pistol. In another pouch she found extra batteries and placed eight inside the weapon and replaced the hatch. Aiming at the floor again, she pulled the trigger; nothing happened this time, either. She repeated the process with the last cartridge and another set of eight batteries and had the same result.

Looking around the darkened hallway and the nonfunctioning taser in her hand, she assumed, "They're using an EMP. Son of a bitch." Tossing the pistol to the floor, she sighed and mumbled, "Thanks a lot, guys. Not that I'm complaining."

Glancing down at the guard, she saw his telescoping baton lying next to him and grabbed it. She extended it, turned it around in her hand and concealed it against her forearm. Natalie then bent back down to remove the key chain from his belt. She hooked it onto her jumpsuit as she turned and jogged down the hall. She turned left into another hall toward the fire exit.

----------------------------------------------------

John heard the sounds of shotguns being cocked and motioned for the team to spread out and take cover. He and Aeryn took cover on one side of the hallway entrance, with Zhaan and a Tavlek on the other. Another two members of the team took cover behind the security desk. The remaining three took up various positions next to the walls of the room.

As the smoke cleared, John, gripping his Sig Sauer .40 caliber pistol, peeked around the corner and saw the silhouettes of three guards in the moonlight from outside. Two had shotguns, one kneeling in front of the door to the stairwell and the other crouched down against the wall to the right. The third was crouched down next to the wall to the left and carried a pistol. Unfortunately, one of the guards saw John's silhouette and fired off a round from his shotgun. John quickly ducked back behind the wall as a beanbag ricocheted off the corner and flopped to the floor a few feet in front of him. Cocking an eyebrow, he reached over for the beanbag and picked it up to look at it.

"What the frell is that?" Aeryn whispered, taking the bag from John.

"It's a stun-bag," John replied. "Two of the guys back there have shotguns that fire those. The other guy has a taser, but it won't work while the EMP is working."

"We're hiding because of these things?"

"It knocks you out when it hits you, Aeryn."

"Just how would you know?" she deadpanned.

John shot her an annoyed glare then, glancing around the corner again, said, "This is exactly why I said we should've brought gas grenades." But before Aeryn could comment, he added, "I know, I know, I know. It would've taken too long for Zhaan to make 'em with what little we have."

"Well, we can't sit around here and talk about this forever," Aeryn suddenly said, throwing the beanbag away and tossing her pistol to John.

She started to stand up, but they suddenly heard shots coming from above. Looking at John, she deftly pulled his syringe from his belt, stood up, and walked around the corner. As she slowly walked down the hall, she pulled her syringe out of her belt with her other hand, then flipped them both upside down, hiding them next to her forearms.

John wished he knew what she was going to do next. When it came to situations like this, she had become unpredictable – she had become a dichotomy. On one hand she could be brutal – a murderer, as she had called herself. On the other hand, she could also be like he had once been and looked for solutions other than violence to resolve bad situations. In a perverted sort of way, he had Scorpius to thank for that. But he hoped this wasn't one of those times.

The prison guard in front of the stairwell door yelled, "Drop your weapons and get down on the floor, _now_!"

"I just want to talk," Aeryn yelled in broken English.

"God, she's speaking English," John mumbled. But, he had to admit that he _was_ the one who thought it would be a good idea for her to learn a little English before they got to Earth. Fortunately, they had plenty of time before they got to the wormhole.

"Lady, get down on the floor _now_!" the guard repeated.

Aeryn ignored him, of course, and kept walking toward them.

"Okay, drop her!"

John sprang up and started after her as she spun to her left and planted herself against the door to elevator number one. However, nothing happened.

"It's not working!" the guard with the pistol yelled, frustrated, and pulled the weapon back and pulled off the front. John assumed it was a taser.

"Bag her!" the senior guard yelled.

But before they could get shots off with their stun-bag guns, John saw Aeryn rush them and throw a kick to the guard at her left as he tried to aim his taser at her. She kicked his head into the wall and knocked him out. She swiftly spun around to gain momentum and threw a pantak jab at the senior guard's forehead, knocking him back into the door. Quickly turning to her right, she elbowed the third guard across the temple, knocking him back against the wall. As the senior guard pushed himself away from the door, Aeryn spun again and drove her knee into his gut. He fell onto his knees, gasping for air, as the ex-Peacekeeper pulled back and gave him another pantak jab, knocking him out. She suddenly threw her leg back and kicked the man behind her, pushing him against the wall again. She spun around and kicked his knee, dislocating it and forcing him to the floor, then punched him across the temple, knocking him out.

John, Zhaan, and the other six immediately left their hiding places and approached Aeryn. They watched her inject the sedative into the three already unconscious men. At John's questioning look, she handed his syringe back to him and said, "Just in case."

She reached back down and pulled the key chains off the guard's belts. She tossed one set of keys to John and the other set to Zhaan. Bending down again, she grabbed the two shotguns as John knelt on the floor to search the three officers. He took their pistols and magazines and found several stun-bag rounds along with several normal shotgun rounds. Aeryn handed the shotguns to a Sebacean and a Nebari, then searched through the key chain for the key to the door as John gave the two aliens the shotgun and stun-bag shells. He then gave the Berettas and their magazines to a Sykaran and another alien that looked like he could be related to Furlow.

Once the weapons had been distributed, Aeryn turned, unlocked and opened the door, then said, "C'mon."

"After you, Miss Sun," John said and followed her as she walked into the stairwell and ran up to the second floor.

Before they could get halfway up the stairs, though, they bumped into two more prison guards, one of whom had a bloody nose. The were both carrying shotguns and Berettas. Aeryn shoved them both against the wall, then John grabbed one of them and pulled his head down, slamming it against the handrail. With the guard dazed, John injected him with the sedative, then pulled him over to the side and gently laid him on the floor. He took the man's weapons and ammunition, giving the pistol to an alien with scales from head to toe and the shotgun to an Ilanic as the team ran past John and Aeryn up the stairs, Zhaan leading the way. Looking over, he noticed that Aeryn had already sedated the other guard, pulled him out of the way, and handed the pistol and shotgun to two other aliens as they had passed.

Joining the tail end of the group, John and Aeryn followed their team through the door to the second floor. Once there, they all took up positions on either side of the hall, hiding from any potential threat. Zhaan, the Sebacean, and the Tavlek, on the other hand, went ahead to their right to check to see if the next corridor over was clear.

As the Sebacean turned right, a gun blast suddenly rang out and the man was knocked off his feet with shotgun pellets lodged in his neck and face. He died several microts later as blood poured out of his pierced carotid artery. Zhaan and the Tavlek scrambled back around the corner to take cover just as another blast rang out. Part of the corner next to Zhaan disintegrated as the pellets hit the drywall.

Retreating to John and Aeryn's position, Zhaan stated, "We have to go around. There are four guards at the other end of the corridor and they all have shotguns. I also saw three more on the floor. I don't know if they are dead or unconscious."

"Natalie?" John asked, glancing between Aeryn and Zhaan.

"Do you really think she could take out three enforcers on her own?"

"I can't really be sure. But we still need to know if Natalie is in her cell or not."

"Right," Aeryn said, pulling her Beretta from her belt. "You two go check. We'll hold off the enforcers here."

As if on cue, several gunshots rang out from the other end of the hall and two of their team on the left side of the hall, one right behind the other, fell with bullet holes in their chests and heads. Everyone immediately took cover against the walls and returned fire.

"Don't kill any of them!" John yelled, firing at the floor and trying to get the prison guards to fall back. Suddenly, a bullet ricocheted off the wall next to him as more bullets flew past his head and he dropped to the floor, pressing himself against the wall.

"John!" Aeryn yelled and ran up to him, firing the last three rounds in her pistol. "Are you hit?" she asked, releasing the magazine, replacing it with a new one, and releasing the slide.

"Almost," he answered, sitting back up as Aeryn fired another three rounds. Glancing between her and the firefight, he said, "We need to get out of here."

"Take Zhaan and go around the long way. Get Grant. The rest of us will cover you."

"Aeryn," he protested.

"Don't argue; just go," she insisted.

_You stubborn woman,_ he thought.

"Good luck," she said, giving his arm a squeeze.

"You, too." After a beat, he kissed her. Looking at Zhaan, he said, "Blue, let's go."

Aeryn smiled at him, then turned and yelled, "Cover fire!" As John and Zhaan fell back, Aeryn and the remaining three ex-slaves unleashed round after round at the prison guards, but made sure to aim high over their heads or low at the floor. As the guards took cover and tried to return fire, John and Zhaan ran to the end of the hall and rounded the corner to their left, checking front and rear for any other prison guards who might come their way.

John tightly gripped his pistol and held it at the ready as he and Zhaan hugged the wall for cover. He glanced back at her and saw the nervous look on her face, but he could tell she wasn't anxious about what might happen. She was apprehensive about what she might do. He softly asked, "How are you holding up?"

"As well as can be expected," she answered.

"Well, it's almost over," he said, looking down the hall. "We'll get Natalie, collect Jothee and Zell, then get the hell out of here."

"Are you so sure Natalie hasn't already escaped?"

"What? Those three guys you saw on the ground?"

"Yes."

"Well, the last time we saw her, she could take on one, maybe two." He glanced back at Zhaan and added, "But three?" Looking ahead again, he said, "Aeryn might be right. That could be pushing it, even for her."

"We'll never know until we ask her, will we?" she responded with a small smile.

He suddenly stopped to look at her, then smiled and answered, "No, we won't." Giving her arm a squeeze, he said, "C'mon. Let's get Nat and go."

Continuing down the hall, they came to the corner and stopped, checking both ways for any threats. But all they saw were flashes in the corridor to their left from the gunfire. The sounds of the fighting were decreasing as well. He looked back to Zhaan and the expression on her face told him they were thinking the same thing – people on both sides were down and they were running out of time.

They rounded the corner and hurried down the hall to Natalie's cell. "Blow it, Zhaan. We don't have time for me to figure out which one of these keys opens this door."

Zhaan nodded and sprayed the chemicals around the lock. They both turned away from the door as the chemicals ignited and burned through the steel door, sparks flying everywhere. As soon as the concoction completely burned through the metal, John turned, yanked it open, and went inside while Zhaan remained in the hall.

"Natalie?" John called out. He had trouble seeing the women inside because his new eye wasn't as good as his other, but he knew he had attracted the attention of the women in the cell. However, Natalie hadn't stepped forward yet, which meant she wasn't among them. To add insult to injury, the lights and sirens suddenly came back on. "Great."


	16. Chapter 14

Stopping at the corner, Natalie checked behind her to see if her former escorts were still unconscious. She knew she was being paranoid, but if she didn't check she would drive herself nuts. Feeling reassured, she turned the corner and jogged to the door to the stairwell door. Unfortunately she didn't know which key on the clip was the key to unlock the door. She stood there, searching for what seemed like forever, before she finally found the right key and unlocked the door.

When she opened the door, she found herself face to face with another eight prison guards, all armed and making their way down to the first floor. They all stood there and looked at each other in surprise for several seconds, then the guard in front of the group tried to raise his shotgun at her. Natalie quickly shoved the shotgun away and punched him across the nose and knocked him back into the guard behind him. With the extra weight of the baton in her hand, she had broken his nose. She had also painfully popped all of her knuckles.

She immediately stepped back, slammed the door shut and locked it. Hearing a key slipping into the lock, she sighed and started to run back to the hall that she had come from just as the door was shoved open. She ran to her right with the guards following her and looked back at them. She saw that only six of them were following her; four of them had stayed behind when they saw their three comrades lying on the floor unconscious behind them. At least she didn't have to worry about all eight of them.

She did worry about the fact that she had no idea where she was going. The whole second floor was like a maze and she only knew how to get from her cell to two sets of elevators and another two fire escapes. The prison guards hadn't exactly given her a tour of the facility when she first arrived.

Running the halls of the prison, Natalie had passed by various cells, the women inside screaming and yelling for her to let them out. She didn't stop for any of them, but she did stop at a corner in an empty hall after she thought she heard voices, though that wasn't entirely unusual for her. However, she didn't have her transponder in the back of her neck, and she had no idea how many prison guards were roaming the second floor, nor of where they were.

She peeked around the corner and saw two silhouettes coming toward her in the moonlight from the window directly behind them at the other end of the hall. Pulling back, she planted herself against the wall and heard the sounds of boots pounding the floor growing nearer and nearer from where she had come. Looking back down the hall at the doors she had passed, she saw an unmarked wood door a few feet away from her on the other side of the hall. She looked both ways down the hall, then ran towards the door, kicking it open. She didn't have time to search for the key. Fortunately, the only thing that broke was some wood around the lock on the doorframe on the inside of the room.

She stepped inside the dark room, quietly shut the door, and held it closed as she heard the guards run past. Hearing them round the corner, Natalie listened as they talked with the two guards she had seen in the other hall. They were too far away for her to hear what they were saying.

She shifted slightly to take some of the weight off her right hand and sore knuckles. Of course, at the time, it had seemed like a good idea to punch that guard in the face with the baton in her hand. Shifting her weight had also seemed like a good idea, but she had unintentionally bumped into something, which bumped into something else and caused another item to fall to the floor with a loud 'clank'.

_Shit,_ she mentally kicked herself.

She slowly stepped back from the door, bumping into the same something she had before. She reached out in the darkness for whatever it was she hit and grabbed what felt like a wood handle. Still holding the baton in her other hand, she flipped it over and held it up as she heard the guards slowly come down the hall approach the door.

For several quiet, tense microts nothing happened then, suddenly, the door was kicked in and two of the guards tried to rush in. Natalie pulled out whatever she was holding and shoved it into the guard, causing him to trip over it and fall forward onto the floor. Natalie quickly noticed in the light coming from somewhere in the hall that he had tripped over a mop and bucket. But before he even made it onto the floor, Natalie swung the baton and struck the other guard across the face, knocking out some of his teeth and sending him spinning into the wall to the right.

As the first guard, who had followed her from the fire escape, got up off the floor, another guard pulled the mop and plastic bucket out of the way to the other side of the hall and aimed his stun-bag gun at her. She saw this out of the corner of her eye, pulled the first guard in front of her, and let him take the beanbag round in his beer belly. Gasping for air, he double over in pain and Natalie jumped over him, dropping the baton, and grabbed the barrel of the shotgun, forcing the butt of the stock into his face as hard as she could while the guard tried to hold the shotgun back. But Natalie had caught him off guard and the man let go of the weapon, stumbling back with a bruise on his forehead.

Natalie tried to raise the shotgun to her shoulder, but the second guard (now missing four of his teeth), came up behind her, wrapping his arm around her neck and tearing the shotgun from her grip. She let out a yelp as her index finger was caught and twisted between the trigger guard and the trigger. She managed to free her finger before the guard completely broke it, but not before she accidentally fired off a round that hit the ceiling and flopped to the floor.

As the third guard came up to secure Natalie, she kicked up her legs and wrapped them around his neck as she reached back and grabbed the second guard's head. She threw the third man to the floor onto his head (putting him into a daze) with her legs as she used him for leverage to twist around and pull the second guard onto the floor with her. The second guard's head slammed against the vinyl floor as he landed, knocking him out and fracturing his skull, then bounced up into the side Natalie's head.

"Dammit!" she yelled as she rolled away onto her knees, pressing her hand against the side of her head.

The fourth man suddenly came up to her and kicked her in the gut with his steel-toed boot, lifting her up off the floor. She fell back to the floor on her side and protectively wrapped her arms around her abdomen, cringing and coughing as she gasped for air. The guard came up to her, taking his handcuffs from their pouch, and straddled her. He bent down and roughly tore her arms from around her abdomen, jerking them behind her back as he shoved her onto her belly. He secured one of her wrists but, before he could get the cuff around her other wrist, she bent her leg and kicked her heel up into his balls.

As he doubled over in pain beside her, protectively holding onto his crotch, Natalie rolled back onto her side and wrapped her arms around her stomach again as she continued to cough and try to catch her breath. Glaring at the fourth guard, she kicked him in the crotch again, forcing his hands to slam against his balls. He howled in pain, but Natalie didn't care. As far as she was concerned, he deserved it.

Hearing a groan, she looked up and saw the third guard had come out of his daze and was slowly standing up. Natalie slowly got to her feet as well, her arm still around her abdomen. As he tried to draw his pistol, Natalie used what strength she had and lunged for the mop and bucket, leaning up against the wall. She grabbed the mop, pulling it out of the bucket, and swung it around, breaking the mop end off against his head. He stumbled slightly and Natalie twirled the mop handle around and struck the guard in the head, breaking off the other end. He dropped to the floor, groaning in pain and pressing his hand against his bloodied head.

Natalie, panting for air, dropped what was left of the mop handle and wrapped her arm around her abdomen again as she cringed and braced herself against the wall with her other hand.

"Hey!" she heard someone yell.

She looked over and saw the first guard stumbling out of what she knew as the janitor's closet. He was cringing in pain and had his arms wrapped around his stomach as well. She sighed, rolled her eyes, and mumbled rhetorically, "Why don't you guys give up?"

Pushing herself from the wall, Natalie started to run down the hall again as best she could, still holding onto her abdomen and keeping her other arm out to help steady herself against the wall. She didn't look back, but she knew the first guard would be following her shortly. Whether any of his friends would be with him was to be seen.

Without warning, the lights and the sirens came back on and Natalie stopped momentarily as she shut her eyes. She sighed, "More good news."

Her eyes narrowed slightly and she started down the hall again. At least now she could see, but she would've gladly taken the darkness over the light, as long it was still silent. She wished she could hear how far back the other guards were.

Feeling another twinge in her bruised abdomen, Natalie stopped and wrapped her other arm around her abdomen, pressing them both against her stomach as she leaned against the wall. She hoped that son of a bitch hadn't done too much damage and that she only had some bruised muscles.

Feeling a tingling sensation in her right hand, she unwrapped her arm and saw just how bruised and bloodied her knuckles were. She hadn't thought she had done that much damage when she punched that guard in the face with the baton. Of course, having your finger caught in the trigger guard of a shotgun didn't help.

Shaking her hand and repeatedly balling it up into a fist, Natalie thought she heard someone running toward her, but she couldn't tell from where she was. There was no one in front of her or behind her that she could see. She wasn't taking any chances, though, and started running again. She also unhooked the key chain from her jumpsuit and searched for the key to the fire escapes in the building, hoping to find another fire escape soon.

Natalie turned a corner ahead to her right, hoping to avoid whoever was coming after her. However, the prison guard with the beer belly was running toward her. He must've taken a shortcut to try to head her off. She stopped as soon as she saw him and looked around for anything to use as a weapon as he drew his pistol. Seeing a small cabinet in the wall a few feet behind her, she ran toward it and, through the glass, saw a fire extinguisher inside. She pulled open the door and took out the fire extinguisher as the guard stopped and aimed his weapon at her.

"Get down on the floor, Grant!" the guard yelled.

Natalie simply glared at him, then ran back toward the other hall, rounding the corner to the left. She stopped momentarily to lay the fire extinguisher on the floor on its side a little ways from the corner, hoping the man wouldn't see it in time.

Looking back, she watched as the guard rounded the corner, then tripped over the fire extinguisher. It didn't take him long, though, to collect himself and chase after her again.

Coming up on the end of the hall, Natalie followed the turn to the left and, after several yards, found another fire escape. She unlocked and opened the door, then jumped down the two flights of stairs to the first floor. She unlocked and opened the door to the first floor and stopped momentarily as she recognized where she was. She ran a few feet down the hall, then stopped at the door to the laundry room, trying to find the key to it on the key chain. On the other side of the laundry room was a hall that led to the loading docks. It was her way out of the prison and hopefully to the transport pod where she could get some weapons and back up, and find her friends who were there to get her out.

Finding the key, she unlocked the door and stepped inside, locking it behind her. She ran the length of the laundry room, running around ironing boards, steamers, and large metal carts with washers and dryers on either side of her. Once at the other end, she unlocked and opened the door and ran into the hall.

However, at the other end of the hall was another prison guard. The only thing she could think of doing was to run back into the laundry room and try to hide there until she could get the edge on the man. She ran back through the laundry room around the various items in her path, but was stopped in her tracks as the other door opened and the first guard who had tried to attack her stepped inside the room, his taser aimed at her.

She turned around and ran back the other way, but stopped behind a cart as the other guard came into the laundry room from the other end, his Beretta aimed at her. Natalie glanced back and forth between them as they yelled for her to get on the floor and sighed.

----------------------------------------------------

"Where's Natalie?" Zhaan asked as John came out of the cell.

"You were right, Zhaan," John answered, stuffing the Sig Sauer into his belt and pulling his pulse pistol from its holster, setting it to full power. He hoped the extra chemicals Zhaan added had diluted the chakan oil enough, as it was supposed to, to keep the pulse blasts from killing their intended targets.

"She has escaped."

"Yeah," he sighed.

"Natalie knew we were coming for her here. She would not have left on her own."

"So, they took her when they hit the panic button," John finished. "But where did they take her?" He sighed and added, "We better help Aeryn and the others first."

Unexpectedly, John suddenly found himself on the floor with Zhaan next to him, her hands on his face. She asked, "John, are you all right?"

"I don't know," he answered glancing around. He tentatively asked, "Why am I on the floor?"

"You blacked out again. However, this time it was much worse. Nothing I administered could bring you out of it."

"How long was I out?" he asked, getting up with Zhaan's help.

Offering him his pulse pistol, she answered, "At least fifty microts."

"Perfect timing," he said sarcastically, taking his weapon from her. "C'mon," he said, starting down the hall.

"John," Zhaan started, taking his arm and holding him back. Once she had his attention she asked, "Are you sure you should continue with this? If your blackouts are getting worse…"

"I'll be fine, Zhaan," he said, matter of factly.

"Very well," she replied, frustrated.

The two quickly made their way to the other end of the hall as half a dozen inmates ran out of the cell and ran the other way, trying to escape. Coming up on the corner, John kneeled on the floor, his pistol at the ready, and both he and Zhaan edged their heads around the corner. They saw the three guards Zhaan had seen before, still unconscious on the floor. A little further ahead they saw that two of the prison guards were down, dark pools of blood forming beneath them. The other two guards – taking cover on either side of the hall – looked like they were low on ammunition and were taking magazines from their dead comrades as pulse blasts flew past them. But John could only hear one pulse weapon being fired. Before they left Moya, everyone had been given pulse pistols. That meant only one of their team either hadn't been hit yet or hadn't been hit bad enough for them to stop fighting. John hoped that person was Aeryn and that she hadn't been hit at all.

As both he and Zhaan pulled back around the corner, John said, "Zhaan, get ready."

"I am," she responded, her med pack at the ready.

John raised his pulse pistol and whistled as loud as he could, attracting the attention of both guards. He fired once and hit the young guard on his side of the hall in the shoulder, sending him onto his back unconscious. The other guard raised his weapon at John, but a pulse blast suddenly hit him in the arm. The man dropped his weapon and fell over, gripping his arm. Another pulse blast flew into him, striking him in the back. He rolled over in pain, but before he could roll onto his back another pulse blast was fired and struck him in the chest, knocking him out.

Rounding the corner, John carefully walked down the hall, his eyes on the fallen guards. Zhaan, on the other hand, ran ahead to check on the men. John raised his pistol and softly yelled, "Zhaan!"

"They're no threat, John," she said, checking on the three men as John came up to her, watching over her.

Seeing a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye, John raised his pulse pistol at the person coming toward them. He saw that it was Aeryn coming down the hall, her arm around her abdomen, and lowered his weapon in relief. Relief turned into shock and horror, however, as she nearly fell against the wall, but weakly held herself up against it with her blood covered right hand. As she walked along the wall, a streak of dark, almost black, blood followed her hand. Her coat flapped open and he noticed two gunshot wounds in the left side of her abdomen, the lower left side of her green top covered in blood. He also saw blood flowing from a bullet hole in her upper left arm with more blood dripping from her fingers.

"Aeryn!" he yelled and, with Zhaan following, ran up to her and caught her, dropping his pulse pistol, before she collapsed to the floor. He held onto her, holding her back against his chest as he gently lowered her to the floor. "Oh, God," he whispered, taking her blood covered hand in his and smoothing her hair out of her face with his other hand. "You're going to be all right."

Shaking and looking up into his eyes, Aeryn smiled, reached up to touch John's cheek, leaving streaks of blood on his face, and said, "Don't you worry about me."

John managed to smile back at her, then looked at Zhaan as she began to examine Aeryn and softly asked, "How is she?"

"There's an exit wound in her arm," she answered, pulling a tourniquet out of her bag and wrapping it around Aeryn's arm. Moving to Aeryn's abdomen, Zhaan gently probed around the entry wounds and felt Aeryn's back. "But there is only a single exit wound in her back." Looking at John, she said, "The bullet is still inside her."

"Can you get it out?" he asked as she pulled out a vial of power to stop the bleeding and several bandages.

"With my medicines and equipment on Moya, yes," she answered, trying to stop the bleeding. Confused, she added, "I don't think any of her major organs have been wounded, but I can't account for all this dark blood."

"C'mon, we gotta get you back up to Moya," John said. He grabbed his pulse pistol, holstering it, then maneuvered to pick Aeryn up.

As he tried to pick her up, Aeryn let out a soft cry and, trying to keep him from picking her up, said, "John, no."

"Dammit, woman, don't argue."

"John, we're here for Grant. You find her first, then you come back for me."

"Aeryn, you must get medical attention _now_," Zhaan stated worriedly.

"No," Aeryn said matter of factly to Zhaan. Looking up at John, she said, "Get Grant now, Crichton."

Picking her up again, he added, "Shut up, Aeryn."

As both John and Zhaan stood, a gunshot suddenly rang out and Zhaan yelled as a bullet tore through her right shoulder, exiting out the back and sending white blood and pieces of cartilaginous fibers flying through the air. As she fell back to the floor, John turned, dropping to one knee, and saw the young guard he had shot with his pulse pistol, kneeling against the wall, his gun aimed at them.

"Don't anybody fucking move," he weakly said.


	17. Chapter 15

"Get down on the goddamn floor _now_, Grant!" the guard behind Natalie yelled.

"Do it, Grant!" a second guard, one she had nearly run into in the other hall, yelled. "Get on the floor!"

Natalie simply stood her ground, ignoring the pain she still felt in her abdomen as she glanced back and forth between the two guards. She knew that they wouldn't risk killing her because of what she represented. The only threat to her was the guard behind her with the taser. He inched closer and closer to her to ensure she was in range of his weapon.

Glancing around, Natalie looked for anything she could use as weapons. She saw irons laying on ironing boards, heavy laundry bags on the floor filled to capacity with clothes waiting to be washed, hampers, different sized racks, boxes of soap, and laundry carts. Glancing down, she also noticed that the wheels of the laundry cart in front of her hadn't been locked.

"I said get on the floor!" the first guard yelled again. Of course, they had both been yelling since they arrived, but Natalie only noticed what they were saying when they yelled loud enough. Otherwise, she ignored them.

She looked back and noticed that the first guard was only a few feet away from her now. Looking back at the other guard she saw him giving the man behind her a small nod. The first guard was going to shoot her with the taser. She turned around to face him as he continued to yell at her, then looked down and saw the red dot from the taser's laser sight on her jumpsuit.

Making the first move, Natalie suddenly bent over, punching the guard in his gut with both fists as she threw out her leg and back-kicked the laundry cart, forcing it into the other guard and knocking him to the floor. Focusing on the first guard who was coughing and gasping for air, she grabbed the taser and twisted it around, twisting his arm at the same time. Simultaneously, she threw a ridge hand across his temple and kneed him in the gut. As he bent over her knee, she threw her foot up and kicked him in the nose, knocking him onto floor in a daze as she held onto the taser.

Gripping the taser in both hands, she spun around and aimed it at where the other guard had been. She slowly walked around the cart, and aimed low in case he was hiding behind it. Of course, he wasn't. Looking inside the cart, she saw the man's gun at the bottom. The cart was so big that the only way he could've retrieved the gun was to climb inside it, but she had been so fast with the other guard he didn't have the time to climb inside.

Looking around the immediate area, the taser straight out in front of her, Natalie tried to listen for the other guard, but all she could hear was the hum of the lights and her own breathing. Either the man had run away, which she doubted, or he was waiting for her to turn her back to him.

When she turned to look back to where the first guard lay, she was tackled from behind. The other guard forced her to the floor and laid on top of her to hold her there as he tried to tear the taser from her grasp. To keep it from him, Natalie tossed it away. She didn't see where it landed, though, as she immediately elbowed him in the jaw then again in the temple. He cringed in pain, then jabbed his thumb into her head, below her ear and just behind her jaw. She yelled in pain and tried to get away from him as he used a pressure point to incapacitate her.

It worked against him, though, as it just made her angrier. She repeatedly slammed her other elbow against his temple until he pulled his thumb away from her, then hit him a few more times and forced him to roll off her. She rolled away to the other side, her hand clasped against the sore pressure point. Glaring at him as he pressed his hand against his bruised temple, Natalie spun on her hip and kicked his hand into his temple and knocked him out. She knew, though, he wouldn't be out for long; she hadn't kicked him hard enough.

Slowly standing up, Natalie pulled her hand from the pressure point behind her jaw as she shook out her arm, trying to get rid of the tingling sensation she felt after hitting the guard with her elbow. With a sigh, she turned around and started toward the door. She hoped Aeryn hadn't parked the transport pod too far away from where she was.

Suddenly, the red dot of a laser sight appeared on the left side of the wall ahead of her. It slowly traveled to the right before it disappeared from her view – it had settled on her back.

"Get down on the floor, face down, with your hands and feet spread out," she heard from behind and sighed. The deep voice belonged to the other guard – the one who had followed her to the laundry room all the way from the fire escape on the other side of the facility. "I won't tell you again, Grant."

Natalie ignored him, then suddenly lunged to her left as the guard fired the taser. The two electrodes extended out as far as they could go, then fell to the floor where Natalie had stood as she grabbed an iron she had seen before, resting on an ironing board. She yanked the cord out of the socket, grabbed the plug, and spun around, swinging the iron at the guard, standing next to the laundry cart as he tried to replace the spent cartridge with a new one. The iron slammed into his right forearm, fracturing it and forcing him to drop the taser. She twirled the iron around over her head as she spun around toward the guard, building up speed and energy in the makeshift weapon, then threw it at the man. He ducked and the iron flew around in a circle over his head.

As the iron came back to Natalie, she grabbed it, slid her hand down onto the cord, and started to spin it around at her side. She built up speed and watched as the guard stood back up, panting from exhaustion, his right arm at his side, and pulled out his baton with his left hand, extending it to its full length.

She didn't know if any other prison guards knew they were there, so she didn't have any time to waste. She loosened her grip on the cord and let go of the plug, letting the iron fly toward the guard as she gripped the plug with her other hand, but he sidestepped the iron and charged Natalie. Quickly pulling the iron back, Natalie grabbed the cord with her other hand, forcing the iron to spin the other direction, and let go of the plug, letting the iron fly toward the guard again. The iron wrapped around the man's arm and locked itself in place before he could move out of the way. Tightly gripping the cord, Natalie yanked on it and pulled the guard toward her. She jumped to the side, kicking the guard in the gut as he reached her. He fell to his knees sputtering for air.

Keeping a hold on the cord, Natalie walked around the guard to put him in a chokehold and knock him out. But the man yanked the cord out of her hands and struck out with his baton. He hit her across the right knee, forcing her to the floor with a cry of pain. He swung his baton the other way and struck her in the left side of her still sore stomach. She bent to her left as the baton hit her and cried out as she wrapped her arm around her abdomen and fell to the floor. She rolled onto her front to try to get up, but the sweaty prison guard punched her in the small of her back, forcing her to the floor again, then wrapped his baton around her throat, choking her as he kept his weight on her lower body and pulled her upper body off the floor.

Gasping for air, Natalie probed the floor in front of her, trying to find something to use to get him off her. She started to black out as the guard pressed the baton even harder against her throat, but her hand came upon some spilt powdered detergent to her right. She grabbed as much as she could and threw it over her head into the man's eyes. He let go of Natalie and she dropped to the floor as he fell onto his back behind her, rubbing his eyes.

Rolling over, she coughed and breathed deeply as she rubbed her bruised throat. "Dammit," she croaked.

Propping herself up on her elbow, she saw the guard rubbing the detergent out of his eyes and lashed out with a kick across his cheek, her slipper flying off as she followed through. She immediately pulled the slipper off her other foot and struck the guard across his bruised cheek again.

Remembering the key chain hooked to her jumpsuit, she pulled it off, gripped it tightly in her uninjured left hand, and punched the guard across his temple, knocking him out and popping her knuckles. She quickly tossed the keys into her other hand, noticing her bruised and bleeding knuckles, and shook her hand to get rid of the tingling she felt. She said, "I gotta stop doing that."

She slowly stood up with a sigh, cringing slightly as she felt sharp twinges of pain in her neck and abdomen. Straightening up, she walked over the fallen guard and slipped on some powder thanks to her socks. She nearly caught herself on the laundry cart, but accidentally pushed it away as she fell to the floor. Sitting up, she took off her socks and tossed them aside.

Without warning, a guard came up behind her and choked her with his baton, pulling her up off the floor at the same time. She struggled against him, hitting him in the gut with her elbows and stomping on his feet, but he held onto her tenaciously.

Doing the only thing she could think of, Natalie did to him what he had done to her and reached back and dug her fingers into the pressure point just behind the left side of his jaw. He cried out and let go of her of, letting her drop to the floor again on all fours as he stumbled back against the dryers.

Rubbing her sore neck, Natalie coughed and gasped and turned to glare at the man who had just tried to kill her. It was the same man who she had knocked out minutes before. He had a bruised jaw and both temples were bruised, the left side more than the right.

Pressing several keys between her fingers, Natalie lunged for the guard, driving the keys hard into his gut. She could feel that they had penetrated his skin, but not deep enough to bring him down. Instead, he brought up his fist and backhanded her across the jaw, sending her spinning to the floor. Slightly dazed, she tried to shake off the hit and, out of the corner of her eye, saw the man raising his foot. She rolled out of the way before he could stomp on her head and swiped at the backside of his leg with the keys. The keys didn't do any harm to him, though, and he walked up to her. Natalie stayed on the floor, kneeling, and waited.

Once the guard was close enough, she shot up, and swiped up across his cheek with the keys, forcing him back against the dryers with three gashes in his face. She ran up to him, then spun out of the way, pulling open a door to one of the dryers as he tried to punch her with his left had. His fist hit the glass window and he broke two of his fingers. Natalie ran out from behind the dryer door and kicked the man in the side of the knee forcing him onto the floor in front of her. He tried to punch her with his other fist, but Natalie kicked his arm out of the way, into the dryer, and slammed the dryer door against it, breaking it. As he hollered in pain, Natalie sped around him to the dryer on the other side of him and threw the door open, shattering the glass against his head. He sank to the floor, covered in blood, glass shards lodged in his face.

She slowly walked back to the dryers on the other side, careful not to step on any of the broken glass with her bare feet. Once there, she leaned against the machines and sank down to the floor, dropping the keys in her lap. She sat there and caught her breath as she looked at the 'mess' she had caused and waited for either one of the guards to get up again. After the last two times they had, she wasn't going to take any chances.

After having rested for a short while, she said, "You two wouldn't happen to have anything to drink, would you?" She glanced back and forth between the two men, and added, "Water? Beer? Anything?" She waited a few seconds, and said, "Didn't think so." With a sigh, she closed her eyes, leaned her head back against the machine.

With another painful groan, Natalie got up, unzipped the top of her jumpsuit, tying it around her waist, and hooked the key chain to her t-shirt. She walked over to the fallen guard, watching out for any broken glass. She pulled his Beretta out of its holster and checked the chamber and magazine; the weapon was fully armed. Stuffing the weapon into her makeshift belt, she searched the man for extra ammunition and other weapons. She found two extra magazines and pepper spray and stuffed them both into her jumpsuit around her waist. She also found the man's radio, but it was, as she assumed, non functional due to the electromagnetic pulse.

Tossing the radio aside, she pulled the gun from her 'belt', switched off the safety, and cocked the hammer. She gave the two men one last look to make sure they were both still unconscious, then slowly shuffled her way to the door, ignoring the soreness in her muscles.

----------------------------------------------------

"Don't anybody fucking move," the guard had said. John, Aeryn, and Zhaan could barely hear him, but they had gotten the gist of it from the gun he had pointed at them.

John slowly put Aeryn (who was on the brink of passing out) back down on the floor and slowly stood up, his eyes locked on the guard. He said, "We need to get them some help." Glancing at both Aeryn and Zhaan, then back at the guard, he added, "They're both shot up pretty bad, and Aeryn could die."

"Fuck you," the man answered. "You just killed my friends. I say let those goddamn aliens bleed."

"So, are you going to kill me, too?"

"Good question."

John sighed – he wasn't getting anywhere with this kid. "Look, son, we didn't mean to kill anyone. And your friend behind you isn't dead. He's just knocked out. But you guys didn't exactly give us much of a choice…"

"Shut up!" the guard yelled. "If those fucking aliens hadn't come here in the first place none of this would be happening."

"Look!" John yelled back. "I don't want to get into an argument with you. I just want you to put that thing down so I can get some help for my friends."

"And what about my friends?" the young man softly responded.

John was left speechless. Nothing he could say would come out right in this screwed up situation. Aeryn was probably going to die unless a miracle happened and the guard was taken out. He didn't want the young man to die for doing his job, but they needed him out of the way.

Without warning, Zhaan rushed past him with a speed he hadn't seen since he was first brought aboard Moya. She ran straight for the guard and picked him up off the floor by the throat like a rag-doll before he ever got the chance to fire at her. She threw him against the wall, breaking the sheetrock as she held him there, one hand squeezing his throat while she held onto his gun hand with the other.

"Zhaan!" John yelled as he ran up to her. "What the hell…" He stopped mid sentence as the former Priestess turned her head and gave him the chance to see her eyes; they were as red as blood.

She said, "If you won't do what needs to be done, then go away, Crichton."

"Zhaan," John started to protest.

"Quiet!" she interrupted. "He was going to kill you. But you were too busy talking to notice." Turning back to the guard she was choking to death, she added, "You talk too much."

That wasn't necessarily true, of course, especially not in the past two years. But John knew that was just the madness talking. He had to get through to Zhaan. Otherwise, she would never be able to forgive herself.

He walked right up to her and softly, but sternly, said, "The Zhaan I know would never take an innocent life."

"Be gone!" she yelled and pushed John away. He landed at least 10 feet away from her.

With a groan, he stood up as fast as he could and stretched out his sore back as he stumbled back to Zhaan. He needed to do something fast if he was going to save the prison guard. Standing right next to her again, he turned up the heat and said, "Think of your Goddess, Zhaan." He didn't get a response. "Think of what your Goddess would say right now about what you're doing." He could see her wavering – the indecision in her eyes – and pressed harder. "What would your Goddess do in this situation? Would she kill him out of revenge?" He saw her loosening her grip around the man's throat and also noticed that the redness in her eyes was beginning to fade. "Or would she leave him be and help Aeryn?"

John watched as the Delvian's eyes turned back to their normal blue. She suddenly let go of the prison guard, letting him fall to the floor unconscious, then collapsed as well. She reached up to press her hand against her still bleeding wound, looked up at John, tears of pain and sorrow in her eyes, and whispered, "Thank you."

He wished he had the time to comfort her, but they needed to get Aeryn some help as soon as they could. He asked, "Can you walk?"

"Yes."

Helping her to her feet, he said, "Go back around check on the others. If they're dead…" he trailed off, looking down. With a sad sigh, he looked back at her and said, "Just get everyone's pulse weapons. I don't want this planet getting technology they can't be trusted with."

"Of course," she answered, wiping the tears from her eyes, then ran around the corner to retrieve the weapons while John went back to get Aeryn.

He saw that she was still passed out and noticed that all of her bandages were soaked in blood. But at least the bleeding had stopped. He picked her up and hoped that the running he and Zhaan would need to do wouldn't jostle her too much and reopen her wounds or cause the bullet inside her to go deeper and cause more damage.

Running back to Zhaan as fast as he could, he saw her waiting for him in front of the door to the fire escape. He also noticed that she was still crying a little, but they didn't have the time for him to ask her how she was, so he asked, "The others?"

"They're dead."

"Crap," he mumbled as Zhaan turned to open the door. "No, we're taking the elevator," he said and glanced down at the down button. Zhaan nodded, pushed the button, and the doors opened at once. They stepped inside and John nodded at the button for the first floor.

Zhaan pressed the button and, as the elevator began to move, Aeryn suddenly whispered, "John…"

"Don't try to talk, baby," John softly said to her, looking at her. "You're going to be okay." Looking away he repeated, more to himself, "You're going to be okay."

Once the elevator reached the first floor and the doors were open, John and Zhaan cautiously made their way back into the small office. They kept their eyes open and made sure that the men who were there were still unconscious. Walking up to the door, they peered outside and saw that, surprisingly, the area around the transport pod was clear. However, with all the lights on in the area they saw that Jothee, Zell, and six prison guards were down. None of them were moving. John and Zhaan had to assume that it was either an ambush for them, or everyone was patrolling the interior of the building, searching for them and Natalie.

With Aeryn's condition worsening, they had no choice but to try to make a break for it and leave Jothee's and Zell's bodies behind. They ran out of the side entrance straight for the transport pod, got lucky, and made it inside. John put Aeryn down on the small bench on the hammond side of the cockpit while Zhaan started up the pod. He took his jacket off, placing it on top of Aeryn and, running back to the hatch, said, "Get her back up to Moya and come back for me when you can."

Following him into the cargo area, Zhaan asked, "John, what are you doing?"

"I'm gonna stay behind and get Natalie," he answered, searching for two of the bags they had packed with food, water, weapons, and Natalie's transponder just in case they were stranded on Earth.

"John, are you sure that's wise?" she asked, concerned. "You and Natalie will be alone here. "

Looking at her, determined, he said, "I'm not going to let Aeryn and you get shot up and let the others get killed for nothing." Zhaan only nodded in understanding. John knew she would do the same thing if Aeryn hadn't needed her. Finding his and Natalie's packs, including two pulse rifles and two more pistols, John added, "I'll leave my comms on so Moya can track us. Just come back for us when you can."

Cupping his cheek in her hand, Zhaan smiled and said, "Goddess be with you and Natalie."

"Thanks, Zhaan," John softly said, taking her hand in his and giving it a squeeze. Turning away from her, he walked to the hatch as he slung both packs on his shoulder and pulled his pulse pistol from its holster. Taking a breath as Zhaan walked back to the cockpit, he poked his head out of the hatch and saw that the area was still clear. But he did hear sirens coming down the road. He ran out of the transport and started to run back to the prison while the pod took off and rose into the sky.

"Hey!" John suddenly heard someone yell to his right.

He turned, getting down to one knee, and aimed his weapon in the direction of the voice. But he lowered his pistol once he saw that it was Natalie and that she was running toward them, a gun in hand.

Motioning at the pod with her free hand, she yelled over the sirens and engine noise, "Where the hell are they going?"

"Where the hell have you been?" John yelled back, standing up and running up to Natalie.

"I asked first," she responded. But she suddenly looked down at his clothes and said, "Shit, are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

Natalie reached over and swiped at his cheek with two fingers. She showed him the blood on her fingers and stated, "You're covered in blood, that's why?"

"It's not mine," he answered. "Aeryn got shot up pretty bad. Zhaan's taking her back up to Moya now." Handing her one of the packs, he added, "This is yours."

Natalie took the bag, slung the strap over her shoulder, and said, "Well, I'm sorry about Aeryn, but don't you think we should be on that transport pod with her?" she asked as the police sirens grew nearer.

"Yeah, I do," he answered. He turned his comms back on and said, "Zhaan, Natalie's here with me. Get back down here and pick us up."

"Thank the Goddess," Zhaan replied. "I'll be right down."

"Crichton, get over here, I'm hit bad," they unexpectedly heard Jothee croak weakly over the comms.

John immediately ran toward the young hybrid's position with Natalie following. She asked, "Who the hell was that?"

"Jothee."

"D'Argo's son?"

"Yeah."

Once they reached Jothee, John knelt next to him and asked, "How bad is it?"

"I got shot in the back," he answered as the transport pod approached their position. "My blood is almost black."

Suddenly, several police cars and ambulances drove through the front gates, but immediately stopped when the transport pod landed not to far behind John, Natalie, and Jothee. Natalie reacted instantaneously, grabbing the gun Jothee held onto, and began firing at the police cars with both weapons.

"Go!" Natalie yelled at John as she continued to fire her weapons. However, there had been only four shots left in the gun she took from Jothee. She tossed it aside as John picked up Jothee and carried him over his shoulder to the pod. They both took cover behind one of the pod's landing struts as the police returned fire with their pistols and shotguns. They ducked down as the bullets and shotgun pellets ricocheted off the pod's organic-metal hull and struts.

"Go!" Natalie yelled again, then poked out from behind the strut to give John some cover as he made his way back to the ladder. "Shit!" she yelled, her Beretta out of ammunition. She spun around and ducked to take cover behind a strut again, ejecting the empty magazine.

"Natalie!" John yelled, attracting her attention. He had made it to the next landing strut ahead and had already put Jothee down on the ground. He pulled the Sig Sauer out of his belt and tossed to her.

She caught the weapon, but put it down on the ground as she placed a magazine inside her Beretta and closed the slide. Picking up the Sig Sauer, she stood up and saw that John had picked Jothee up again. She nodded to him, then spun around the strut and fired both guns at the police cars, puncturing the sheet metal and tires and shattering the windows. A few of the officers went down as well. As John made it to the ladder and slowly climbed up it, Zhaan waiting anxiously at the top, Natalie made her way back to the next landing strut.

"Take him!" John yelled over the gunfire once he reached the top. He handed Jothee to Zhaan who took him inside the pod as best she could with a bullet hole in her right shoulder. He pulled out his pulse pistol and turned to give Natalie some cover only to see her spin around and fall, blood flying from an exit wound in her left side. Running back down the ladder, John fired volley after volley of pulse blasts as the cops took cover and tried to return fire.

Running up to Natalie, he picked her up and helped her back against the landing strut. "How is it?"

"I've been shot," she yelled. "That's a really dumb fucking question."

"That's some mouth you got on you," he responded as several bullets ricocheted off the strut.

As John fired several pulse blasts at the police, she said, "You spend seven months in jail and see what kind of mouth you have." Extending her hand, she cringed and said, "That didn't exactly sound right, did it?"

"No, not really," he answered, taking her hand, and placed her arm around his shoulders as he wrapped his am around her waist and helped her up. John was forced to half drag her to the ladder as she stumbled in pain, her hand pressed against the entry wound to help stop the bleeding. They eventually made it to the next landing strut and stopped to let Natalie rest when they unexpectedly saw Zhaan pop out of the transport pod. She was carrying four ball-type concussion grenades. She pulled the pins and threw them one at a time at the police cruisers, then ducked back inside the pod. As soon as John wrapped himself around Natalie to protect her, the police officers scattered in all directions and all four grenades went off.

"Sorry for being chivalrous," John said and picked up Natalie, carrying her to and up the ladder.

"I don't care just as long as we get out of here," she croaked, trying to ignore the pain in her side.

Once inside, John placed Natalie down in the co-pilot's seat and asked Zhaan, who was attending to Jothee's wound as well as she could, "How are they?"

"Aeryn is still unconscious, and Jothee's blood is almost clear," she answered, slamming her fist into the hybrid's back.

"Well, keep poundin' and hang on," John stated and piloted the pod off the ground and into space.


	18. Chapter 16

Crais, Jack, Olivia, DK, and Jason arrived on Moya from Talyn and, running into Zhaan's apothecary, Crais gave instructions to the four humans to prepare for the transport pod's arrival. They made ready surgical equipment, medicines, and three surgical tables covered in sterile sheets based on Zhaan's report of the injuries coming in.

"The transport pod is docking," Pilot announced.

"Open the maintenance bay doors," Crais commanded.

Grabbing a pack full of medical equipment, Crais ran into the transport hangar and up the ladder to the pod before the bay doors had completely opened. With John's family and Natalie's son following, Crais ran to Zhaan's side where she checked on Aeryn.

"Her pulse is weak," Zhaan stated, a gold bandage wrapped around her wounded right shoulder. "We must operate now."

"I'll help," Natalie said. Jason helped her out of the co-pilot's seat while John picked up Aeryn and Crais carried Jothee.

"Are you kidding?" Jason blurted out, astonished, as they slowly walked out of the pod. "You can barely walk."

"I'm no worse off than Zhaan, and she and Crais need all the help they can get."

"No," Crais suddenly said, carrying Jothee down the ladder. "The boy is right. Both you and Pa'u Zhaan need to recover before you are fit to operate."

"Oh, shut up," Natalie said, still limping down the ladder as the others made their way into the apothecary. Once Jason helped her onto a medical table, Natalie put her pack down on the floor and glanced at Crais as he went to work on Aeryn. John stood next to Aeryn's table, assisting and looking on. Natalie glanced over at Zhaan as she and Jack worked on Jothee, trying to remove the bullet still lodged inside him. Dark blood began to flow out of the wound again as Zhaan probed for the bullet.

"Mom?" Jason asked, concerned, bringing Natalie's attention to him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, smiling at him, happy to see him again. With a cringe of pain, she added, "But you're going to have to help me out here."

"Anything."

Looking at him, she said, "Leave. I don't want you seeing what's going on here, Jason."

Looking over at DK and Olivia who were standing in a corner out of the way, she ordered, "DK, go help out John and Crais."

"Right," he answered, running to Aeryn's surgery table.

"You…" she trailed off, pointing at the other person.

"Olivia," she filled in. "John's sister."

Motioning with her hand, Natalie ordered. "Come over here and help me out."

"Mom," Jason broke in, frustrated.

"No 'buts', Jason," she warned as Olivia came up to her. "I don't want you seeing what's going on here."

"Oh, c'mon, Mom."

"Jason, _please_."

"Fine," he sulked angrily, and stomped out of the apothecary.

"Grab the scalpel," Natalie said to Olivia, glancing at the instrument tray. "Cut my shirt away around the wound," she added, lifting her arm as high as she could.

"Didn't John say you were a physicist?" Olivia asked, cutting the left side of Natalie's shirt away.

"I'm sure he did."

"You've got a PhD?"

"In astrophysics, yeah."

"Then how do you know about medical procedures?" she asked, pulling the section of cloth away from Natalie's side, from the bottom of the shirt to her breast.

"You learn something new every day in the Uncharted Territories." Looking down at her wound, she gently probed around it, cringing. "All right, you're going to need to flush it out." Looking at the tray, she pointed to what resembled a black turkey baster, and said, "There, the antibiotic wash."

As Natalie lay down on the table Olivia retrieved the instrument and said, "You know, he's pretty pissed at you."

"Well, I don't want him exposed to this."

"Ready?" Olivia asked as she prepared to wash out the wound. At Natalie's nod, she sprayed the wash inside the wound. "You can't protect him from everything."

"Maybe not," Natalie replied, wincing from the stinging of the wash doing its job. "But I dragged him into something he didn't want to be or deserved to be. Despite all this, I want him to have as normal a life as possible."

"Good luck."

----------------------------------------------------

"Are you sure you should be getting out of bed?" Jack quietly asked Natalie as he walked into the apothecary, a black duffel bag in hand. "It's only been a few hours since Livvy patched you up."

"To answer your question, no," she answered, putting on her socks. Natalie had already changed into her usual black attire. "But I gotta see Jason and find out what's been going on here and what's going on down on Earth."

Handing the bag to her with a grin, he responded, "Curiosity killed the cat, you know."

"Well, I'm not a cat." Taking the bag, she asked him, "What's this?"

"You _did_ want your stuff back, didn't you?" Jack asked, still grinning.

"Yeah, I did," she answered, a tired, thankful smile on her face. Opening up the bag, she pulled out a pair of Peacekeeper issue commando boots and cocked her eyebrow, a questioning look on her face.

"We figured you'd need another pair. John managed to convince Aeryn to give you her old boots."

"I'll be sure to thank her," Natalie said, strapping the boots on.

"Speaking of John…" Jack trailed off, gazing past Jothee's table and at his son, sitting on a stool next to Aeryn's table. "He's still asleep?"

"Yeah," Natalie said, pulling out her coat, belt and holster, two pulse pistols, and her occulars. "He's been here ever since we brought her back." Looking at his blood stained clothes and the dried blood on John's cheek, she added, "He hasn't even changed." Slowly standing up, her hand on her sore left side, she grabbed her belt and holster and strapped them on. She put one pistol in the holster, stuffed the other pistol in her belt behind her back, and placed her occulars inside the pouch on her belt. Looking back at Jack, she asked, "Hey, do you know where John put my transponder? I was talking to Pilot earlier and he told me that John left Talyn with it four days ago."

"I think John put it in your pack there before he left for Earth," Jack answered, pointing at the other bag on the deck. "John, Aeryn, and the others put those together for everyone who went down, just in case."

"Just in case," Natalie repeated as she carefully knelt down, favoring her wound, and picked up the pack. She laid it on the table, searched through it, and said, "Seems like whenever we make plans for one thing, something even worse always happens." Jack only nodded in response as Natalie found her transponder and put it in the pouch on her belt. Closing the pack, she put it in the bag along with her coat, zipped it up, then placed the strap over her shoulder. "Anyway, do you know where Jason is? Pilot told me he's turned his comms off."

"Last I saw, he was on the terrace, checking out the view," he said.

Walking up to him, she hugged him and said, "Thanks, Jack, for everything."

"You're welcome, Natalie." He let her go, gave her hand a squeeze, and said, "Make sure you take care of yourself, okay? Don't over do it."

"Sure thing," she answered with a chuckle. Walking away, she added, "I'll see ya later."

Once Natalie had walked out of the apothecary, Jack turned his attention back to John who was awake and was watching him. With a smile, he walked toward John and said, "It's about time you woke up." He didn't get a response, and jogged towards him, concerned. "John are you okay?" There was still no answer; there was a blank look in John's eyes. He ran up to him, shook him, and yelled, "John!"

John suddenly jumped up with a yell, toppling over his stool and pulling out his pulse pistol.

"Whoa!" Jack yelled, stepping back, his hands in the air.

"Dad!" John yelled back, aiming his pistol upward. Holstering the pistol, he got up, putting the stool upright, and shouted, "You scared the _hell_ out of me."

"I'd say the same thing about you," Jack shouted back, worried.

"Sorry," John sheepishly said, sitting down on the stool, his eyes on Aeryn as she slept soundly.

Pulling up another stool, he sat down next to his son and asked, "John, what's going on with you?"

"Nothing, dad," he softly answered. "Everything's fine."

"Oh, I'd say things are pretty far from fine," Jack stated, incredulous.

"Just leave it alone, okay?" he asked, watching Aeryn.

"You keep blacking out, son. How can you expect me to just leave it alone?"

Turing to his father, John adamantly said, "Dad, I don't want to talk about it."

"Dammit, John," he shouted, then paused. "All right, fine. You don't want to talk about it." Getting up, he said, "You're as stubborn as ever." He waited for a microt, then turned around and walked to the door.

Jack almost made it to the door when John yelled, "Dad, wait!" Jack stopped in his tracks and, after a microt, John said, "The blackouts are only part of it."

"Only part of it?" Jack asked, even more concerned, turning to look at John. He slowly walked back to John and asked, "What do you mean?"

Looking to the side, John chewed on his thumb and said, "You're going to want to sit down for this." Once Jack was seated, John looked him in the eye and continued. "About two and a half years ago, Aeryn was wounded. The only way to save her was to go to a secret Peacekeeper gammak base and get a transplant for her. I went in as a Peacekeeper Captain and got caught by this guy named Scorpius. He put a neural chip in my head to extract some information. But I managed to get away from the base with Aeryn's help. About half a year later he caught me again and Aeryn came in after me again. We both managed to get away.

Awhile after that, we came across Scorpius again. I killed him that time. But before I killed him, he told me that if I killed him I'd be killing myself. I didn't believe him, of course. But I should've known."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, worry etched on his face.

"A few days before we found Scorpius for the third time, I had my first blackout. It was when we were looking for Jothee, but found Stark instead. You haven't met him yet. Anyway, after I killed Scorpius and D'Argo died, the blackouts started getting worse. I also started getting headaches.

They almost got me killed when we found Jothee and tried to get him off a mining colony. We got caught. We were slaved out and I got my left eye plucked out as punishment. That's another story. But after we got away from that colony and took the other slaves with us, Aeryn got me to let Zhaan to look me over."

"What did she find?"

"_How long is this going to take?" John asked impatiently, lying on the examination table._

"_As long as it will take," Zhaan answered calmly as she ran the scanner over his head, checking the readouts in the nearby viewing shell. After several microts she stopped and held the scanner at the side of John's head close to the base of his neck. Confused she asked rhetorically, "What is that?"_

"_What?" John asked worriedly._

_Ignoring John, Zhaan asked, "Pilot, can you give me more resolution on the scanner?"_

"_Of course, Zhaan," he responded, doing as asked._

_Zhaan immediately zoomed in on the anomaly in his head. A shocked expression on her face, she put the scanner down, braced herself against the table as she closed her eyes, and said, "Goddess be with you, John."_

"_What?" John asked, sitting up. "What's wrong?"_

"_There is another neural implant, John," she answered sadly. "It appears to be secreting some kind of toxin."_

"_That's why I'm having the blackouts and headaches?"_

"_Yes," she answered with a nod._

_John looked away in thought and sighed. He softly asked, "Can you remove it?"_

"_No, I'm not a neuro surgeon. However, a diagnosan may be able to remove it and possibly even cure the poison."_

"_Then lets go find ourselves a diagnosan," John said._

"_I will instruct Pilot immediately. Although…"_

"_Although what?"_

John sighed and eventually said, "I'm dying, Dad."

"What?" Jack blurted out, utterly shocked.

"Scorpius wasn't lying when he said that if I killed him I'd kill myself." With another sigh, he said, "There's another neuro chip in my brain and it's releasing a poison. It's Scorpius' insurance policy. He was probably the only one who knew the cure, and how to deactivate the chip."

Jack looked like a deer caught in headlights; he didn't know what to make of the news. He calmed himself down and softly asked, "Can we get the chip out?"

"Zhaan thinks that a diagnosan can safely remove it and cure me…"

"But?"

"_But_, Zhaan doesn't know how much time I have left." He looked down with a sigh, then looked at Aeryn for a microt. Turning back to Jack, he said, "This thing has been slowly releasing the poison for almost two years now; So, I could die tomorrow, or next week, next month, or ten months from now."

Silence fell between them for what seemed like eternity as they both contemplated what John just said. In a way, it had been the first time hearing that news for the both of them. John hadn't wanted to think about what was happening to him, but Jack needed to know. John had no choice but to tell him.

"Dad," John eventually said, breaking his father's reverie. As Jack looked at him, he said, "Don't tell Liv or DK about this."

"Son, they're family," Jack stated, urgently. "They need to know, too."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I don't want them worrying about this when they already have a lot on their minds. They don't need this added to it."

"Need what added to it?" Olivia asked, walking into the apothecary with DK.

"Liv, DK," John greeted, surprised. "Perfect timing," John mumbled as he and Jack got up and walked up to Olivia and DK.

"So, what were you two talking about?" DK asked.

"Aeryn and Jothee," Jack quickly supplied. John quickly flashed him a thankful smile.

"Uh, huh," Olivia said, skeptically.

"We were just wondering if you two were hungry," DK said, trying to diffuse the situation.

"No," John answered. "You guys go on ahead. I'm going to stay here with Aeryn."

"You sure, son?" Jack asked.

"You sure you don't want to take a shower, either?" Olivia teased.

"Yeah, I'm sure," he chuckled.

"All right," Jack said, smiling. "We'll see you later then."

"See ya, guys," John shouted with a wave as he watched his family walk out of the apothecary.

"She's right, you know," Aeryn suddenly said.

John turned around, a grin on his face and saw Aeryn wide-awake on her table, her right arm under her head. "Right about what?" he asked.

"You do need to bathe." With a chuckle she added, "You smell like dren."

"Thank you," John said sheepishly and walked over to her, sitting down on his stool. Resting his forearm next to her, he asked, "You heard?"

"Some of it. And you were right."

"About what?"

"Not letting Olivia and DK know about the second chip."

"Well, they know something is up and they're going to get suspicious."

"But you still did the right thing. We'll need them to get the second EMP generator into wherever Chiana is being held, and they need to focus on that. Your father can't do it again. I'm sure everyone down on Earth knows by now that he helped us to free Grant."

"I've got Pilot monitoring transmissions." Tiredly, he continued, "Our little prison break is all that everyone is talking about. A lot of people are pretty pissed off at us – all of us, even my Dad."

"Have we heard any word from Sloane or Bourne yet?"

"Not yet. But you can bet your ass they'll contact us soon and threaten us with all sorts of stuff."

After a beat, Aeryn, feigning curiosity, suddenly asked, "What happens if I lose that bet?"

John laughed for several microts, but soon after he sobered and gazed at Aeryn. With a smile, he smoothed her hair out of her face, caressing her cheek, and softly said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she responded, reaching out to pull him down and kiss him.


	19. Chapter 17

Walking into her old quarters, Natalie locked the door behind her, dropped her bag on the floor next to her bed, and rolled onto her bed with a groan, her arms and legs spread out. "Ow!" she muttered as her spare pistol dug into her back. She slowly rolled over onto her right side and pulled the pulse pistol out of her belt, tossing it over onto her bag. She laid back down on the bed with a heavy sigh, pulling her loose hair out from under her, and closed her eyes. She was still feeling pretty tired from the medications Zhaan had given her and was still sore in her abdomen and hands.

She was grateful that Pilot had kept her old quarters unoccupied and that he had kept the quarters across from hers empty for Jason. He was temporarily staying there while they were on Moya. She would rather they be on Talyn, but Zhaan had told her that she couldn't fly until she had fully recovered. Moya and Pilot had concurred with her and blocked her access to the transport hangar. Zhaan's actions she could understand, but Moya and Pilot's? The only reason she could think why they would do it was because they considered her part of the 'family' and they were being overprotective – _very_ overprotective.

She also felt a little guilty for keeping her conversation so short with Pilot and disappointing him by merely asking him about Jason and her old quarters. But she had wanted to talk to him in person; the last time she had seen him had been over a cycle ago when she and Chiana left with Talyn. She also didn't want to take the chance of talking to him over the comms when the others could listen in on them.

Thinking of Talyn, she finally pulled her transponder out of her pouch after having rested for a bit. She paused momentarily, knowing that the transponder she held would lessen the privacy she enjoyed. While allowing her greater access to Talyn's systems, the transponder also allowed Talyn to use her senses – it would allow him to see everything she saw, hear everything she heard, feel everything she felt, and so on. But it was the only transponder she had and they didn't have time for Talyn to make a new one.

She sat up slightly with a cringe, then activated the device and inserted it into the back of her neck. She said, "Talyn, you there?"

_It's about damn time!_ he yelled. _Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting here for you?_

"Well, I missed you, too," she said sarcastically in surprise.

_I'm sorry,_ he responded sheepishly. _I've just been pretty anxious since Crichton brought you back. All anyone's said to me is that you're okay and that you weren't hurt too badly. Even my mother told me that._

Natalie couldn't help but chuckle. He sounded a lot like Jason, whom she was certain was complaining about her in just the same way. "That's just the way mother's are, Tal. We want to protect our kids."

_Well, it still sucks._

"You've been watching too much TV."

_Look, can you just tell me what happened down there? All that the national and international news agencies have been saying is that you and six other inmates got away, nearly a dozen prison guards were sent to the hospital with serious injuries, and that seven aliens and five guards were killed._

"Twelve dead," she sighed sadly. "They all died because of me."

_It wasn't your fault._ _If it weren't for those guys who tried to kidnap Jason, none of this would've happened._

"Maybe… But people would've gotten killed down there eventually because I brought you and Chiana and, in turn, Moya and everyone else here."

_Just try not to think about it. All you'll do is make yourself depressed._

"Hell, I'm already depressed," she said and slowly sat up with a groan.

_Are you okay?_ Talyn asked, concerned.

"No," she sighed, her arm pressed against her abdomen and her hand pressed up against the healing wound on her left side.

_What happened to you?_

"Oh, I got my ass kicked and I got shot," she replied casually.

_Like that never happened on a daily basis before we got here._

Natalie closed her eyes and let out a slight chuckle. She dropped their conversation and fell into a comfortable silence with her partner as she rested.

After several microts, Talyn started, _Natalie about what I said…_

"Don't worry about it, Talyn," Natalie interrupted. "You didn't upset me."

_No, I meant what I said just before you were arrested…_

"Oh," she simply said.

_I meant it, you know._

"I know."

_I had to tell you._

"Talyn, it's all right. I understand."

_But?_

"But what?"

_Donovan, for one thing._

She leaned forward, a sigh escaping her lips, with her elbows on her knees and her hands over her face. She brushed her hair up from her face, sat up, and said, "Look, Talyn, I've got a whole bunch of stuff going on right now that I'm still trying to work out. So, I just don't know."

_You don't know?_

"No, I don't know," she said adamantly. "With all the shit that's going on, that's the last thing that's on my mind right now. Can you understand that?"

_Yeah, I understand_, he softly said.

"Thank you," she responded with a smile.

_I wish there was something I could do to help you out with this._

"I know. But this isn't something that you can put a wrench or a gun to and 'fix'." Grabbing a rubber band out of the pouch on her belt, she tied her hair back into a ponytail and said, "Look, I'm gonna go talk to Pilot now. Maybe I can get some answers from him."

_Answers to what?_ he asked.

"Something weird is going on here."

_Weird?_

"Yeah," she sighed, slowly standing up and stretching. "People are missing, something's going on with John, and no one's talking about it."

_Pilot'll probably give you at least some answers,_ he said as Natalie walked to the door and unlocked it. _That's the way he is._

Walking into the corridor, she said, "I hope you're right."

----------------------------------------------------

"Doctor Grant," Pilot stated, surprised, as Natalie walked into the den.

"Hey, Pilot," Natalie greeted, walking up to Pilot's console, a smile on her face. Leaning against the console, she said, "I'm sorry for blowing you off earlier, but I wanted to wait and talk to you in person."

"Of course, Doctor. I appreciate your seeing me here."

"Do you mind?" she asked, motioning to his console.

"Please," he responded, letting Natalie slowly climb up onto the console next to him. Once she was situated, he asked, "Doctor… Natalie, may I ask a favor of you?"

"Anything, Pilot."

"Will you please tell us how Talyn is?"

"Well, why doesn't Moya ask him herself?"

"She already has," Pilot answered, looking at her. "Moya and Talyn have been talking since we arrived. However, he hasn't told her everything. I believe he does not want Moya to worry about him."

"Can you blame him for that?"

"No, we can't. But please, Natalie, will you tell us what he is not?"

_Nat, please, don't tell her about the retrieval squad,_ Talyn suddenly said. _That's the only thing I haven't mentioned to her. You know how overprotective she already is of me._

With a sigh, she rubbed the bridge of her nose and said, "Yeah, Talyn, I know." Placing her hand on the console and looking down, she added, "But she's still your mother and she has a right." Talyn didn't say anything else and Natalie took that as confirmation that he understood. She looked at Pilot and stated, "A Peacekeeper retrieval squad is after us. They're pretty determined to get Talyn, too."

"Thank you, Natalie," Pilot softly said. "But why would they be after you? There are no current threats to the Peacekeepers, not even the scarrans."

"Not even the scarrans?" she asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"The Scarrans are at war with the Nebari. It started as several small incidents in the Uncharted Territories and has escalated to an all-out conflict. The Peacekeepers have remained neutral."

"I knew it," she sighed, looking down and shaking her head. The data she had found on the captured marauder had said that the Scarrans and the Nebari would eventually start fighting, thanks to the efforts of the Peacekeepers. She was certain most of those 'small incidents' Pilot mentioned were caused by the Peacekeepers. Looking at Pilot again, she asked, "And?"

"The Peacekeepers are expanding their sphere of influence within the Uncharted Territories."

"With the Scarrans and Nebari preoccupied with each other, neither of them are saying a word about it."

"Precisely." Checking Moya's data stores, Pilot activated a holo-image in his display of the Peacekeeper's expansion, and allowed Natalie to move in front of him to see for herself. "Based on what we have acquired from others and what we have seen for ourselves, it is almost as if the Peacekeepers are searching for something."

"Us?"

"Possibly. However, it is unlikely they would use so many resources just to capture Moya and Talyn, or even Commander Crichton."

"Then what the hell are they looking for?" she asked rhetorically with a sigh, studying the holo-image. Pointing to several places in the image, she mumbled to herself, "They're focusing here, at these points…"

"Yes," Pilot supplied.

"But why?" she softly asked, turning back to the image. "Pilot, what are these areas?"

"Star systems containing both uninhabited and habited planets with advanced and primitive civilizations. It is very puzzling."

Turning around to face him, Natalie said, "Speaking of spreading, Pilot, what's with all the new people onboard? And where are Stark and Rygel?"

"Stark is in a transport pod on the other side of the wormhole. He is transmitting a signal to us so we can find our way back to where we came from. He is also with a bounty hunter we hired to help us rescue Jothee from a slave encampment. Commander Crichton does not trust him and did not want him near Earth."

"So, when you rescued Jothee, you rescued a whole bunch of other slaves?"

"That is correct."

"But that doesn't explain Rygel."

Pilot looked at her sadly and sighed. He finally said, "Dominar Rygel betrayed us. We were all taken prisoner and forced into slavery ourselves."

"That little son of a bitch…" she mumbled with an angry sigh.

"While Moya was in the service of the Nebari Resistance, we had visited that mining colony before. Rygel found out that Jothee had been sold to that colony and made a deal with the woman who owned the planet. In exchange for a pardon and for helping him to regain his throne, he gave her Commander Crichton. She was going to give him to the Peacekeepers. Apparently, her house had been at one time extremely influential on the Sebacean homeworld. She had assumed that if she turned Crichton in to the Peacekeepers, her house's position would be restored."

"You guys killed Rygel?"

Pilot ignored Natalie's question and continued, "Ciryn betrayed Rygel and forced him into slavery along with the Commander, Aeryn, Pa'u Zhaan, Stark, and Captain Crais. However, Stark was allowed to remain on Moya.

"Ciryn claimed Moya as her personal transport; Stark was to be her servant while onboard. She also claimed Pa'u Zhaan as her personal physician. Zhaan was to travel with Ciryn at all times, which allowed Stark and myself to help her smuggle several comms and weapons to the planet's surface. The slaves used these weapons to implement several uprisings.

"However, it was learned that we were responsible and as punishment for one of the last uprisings, Ciryn had ordered Crichton's torture and the removal of his left eye. She believed Crichton to be the leader of the so-called 'rebels' among the slaves.

"Eventually, we were able to overthrow Ciryn and regain our freedom. Crichton and Aeryn promised the other slaves that we would help them to get home.

"As for Dominar Rygel, Crais claims that while hunting for Ciryn during the final uprising, Rygel followed him and was killed in a cave-in during a firefight."

Natalie asked, "You don't believe him?"

"No," Pilot said succinctly.

----------------------------------------------------

"There you are," Natalie said, walking into command and seeing her son standing in front of the forward portal.

Turning around to look at her, Jason said, "Hey, Mom."

"What, no hug?" she asked, walking up to him. "I know it's not exactly 'cool' for you to hug your mom…"

"Mom, stop it," Jason said, smiling, then gave her a gentle hug, trying to keep from upsetting her wound.

"Next thing I'll know," she started, letting him go. "You won't want to go shopping with me anymore."

"I thought you said you hated shopping?" he asked with a smirk as she led him to the strategy table.

"That's not the point," she groaned as she sat down on one of the stools.

"Oh?" he asked sitting down on the stool next to her. "So, what is the point?"

"Don't be a smartass," she gently scolded.

"Sorry," he said, smirking.

"Speaking of that," Natalie softly said, looking down. Looking back into his eyes, she said, "I'm sorry I didn't come find you sooner. I know you've been waiting to see me, and I didn't exactly make things easy for you when I got back up here."

"Mom, it's all right," Jason said, shaking his head slightly. "Don't worry about it."

Leaning forward, she took his hand, gave it a squeeze, and said, "Well, if you don't want me to worry about it or you, leave your comms on, okay? That's why I got sidetracked in the first place. I needed to get Pilot to do a DRD scan to find you for me, but we got to talking while I was there." Giving his hand another squeeze, she asked, "So, leave your comms on, all right?"

"All right, I'll leave it on."

"Thank you," she softly said, gazing at him.

"What?" he asked uncomfortably.

"When did you grow up?" she sadly asked.

"What do you mean?"

"When I left on the shuttle, you were only twelve years old. Now you're fourteen… You'll be fifteen in May."

"You okay, mom?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said with a sad smile. Putting her sadness in the back of her mind, she said, "So, tell me, how have things been going for you these past seven months?"

He simply answered, "Things have been fine."

"They've been fine?"

"Yeah."

"Has anything important happened with you that you want to talk about? Anything interesting?"

Shaking his head, he answered, "Nope, nothing's happened."

"You're fine and nothing's happened?"

"Pretty much," he said, nodding.

"So, nothing's been going on at home with grandma, or Scott?" She knew about almost all that had happened thanks to Jack, but she wanted to try to get him to open up to her. She wanted things to be like they had been before she was taken from Earth.

Jason sighed, looked away for a microt, then finally said, "Well… Grandma's been home-schooling me for the past few months. She's lost a lot of ranch hands lately, and she's been trying to fill the gaps they've left. She's also been bringing in special-ed kids from the local schools. She thinks that being around horses might help them. Scott's been shipped to the Indian Ocean – he's flying sorties in Afghanistan. And that's about it."

"What about you?" she asked again, hoping he'd open up after talking about the rest of their family. "Have you met any girls?"

"Well… I had met this one girl a few months ago," he said sadly. "She and I were getting to know each other. She had just moved to the area, so she didn't know who I was. But someone told her dad and he didn't want us to see each other anymore."

"Jason, I'm sorry…"

"It's all right, Mom," he interrupted, visibly agitated.

"No, it's not all right…"

"Mom, everything's fine," he stated adamantly. "I've learned to live with the fact that my mom's Natalie Grant, whore of the universe," he shouted, then got up and stormed toward the door.

"Jason!" Natalie yelled, going after him as best she could.

"Just leave me alone, mom!" he shouted back, stalking out of the command.

Natalie stopped dead in her tracks. She shifted her weight onto her right foot, putting her hand on her hip as she closed her eyes with a sigh and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Teenagers."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Natalie," Pilot suddenly said, his image appearing in the viewing shell.

"What is it, Pilot?" she asked, turning to face his image.

"I thought you would want to be the first to know," he responded softly. "We are receiving a transmission from Earth. It's General Sloane."

"More good news," she sighed.


	20. Chapter 18

Walking toward the front of the command, Natalie instructed, "Get the others up here, Pilot, and open up a comms channel with that son of a bitch." Getting an idea, she suddenly said, "Pilot, wait!" He raised his head and looked at her curiously and she repeated, "Just wait." Turning back toward the forward portal, she asked, "Talyn, can you do something for me?"

_What do you need?_ he answered immediately.

"As soon as Pilot patches Sloane through, I want you to conference in and use Sloane's transmission to hack into the military's computer network. They're bound to have a record somewhere of where Chiana is."

_I'll be ready_, he replied.

Feeling Talyn readying the proper systems through her transponder, Natalie turned to Pilot and said, "Let the other's know what Talyn's doing, and put Sloane through." Pilot did as instructed and Sloane's image appeared on the forward portal. Sarcastically, Natalie said, "Why, General, it's so good to see you."

"Dr. Grant," he greeted. "I hope you realize you and your friends are in a lot of trouble, what with all the problems you've caused down here."

"Do you think I care?" she snorted. "After all the shit my family and I have been put through?"

"Doctor, please don't blame us for your indiscretions."

"That's it? That's all you've got to say?" With an amused snort, she asked, "Just how old is that line anyway?" Although, she had to admit to herself that, in a way, she was responsible for all that happened. But she wasn't about to tell Sloane that.

"No, it isn't," he replied. "In case you haven't heard, the United States is now at full military alert. Martial law has even been considered."

Natalie sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I'm betting you were the one who suggested the military go to full alert along with martial law, weren't you?"

"Of course," he answered calmly. "You, your ship, and your friends are a threat to the United Stated and to the world. We're just taking steps to ensure the safety of our citizens."

"What the hell is going on?" John shouted, running onto the command with Jack, Zhaan, and Crais following.

Turning to him, Natalie pointed back at Sloane's image with her thumb, an incredulous grin on her face, and said, "He says we're terrorists, and the military is arming to fight us."

"Oh, wonderful," John commented sarcastically, coming to stand next to Natalie, the others spread out around the command. "Just what we needed."

"Who are you speaking with, Doctor?" Sloane asked.

Ignoring him, Natalie turned around to face John and whispered, "Where're DK and Olivia?"

"We're keeping them out of this for now. We don't want Sloane to think they're a part of what we're doing."

"Doctor?" Sloane insisted.

"Are you on detail, Pilot?" Natalie asked.

"Yes," he answered.

"Could you pull out and show him who's here?"

"Done," Pilot responded.

"Commander Crichton," Sloane greeted, looking at John. He looked around the command at the others there and stopped at Jack. "Col. Crichton."

"General," Jack greeted with a nod.

"I must say that I am surprised to see you there, Colonel. I thought you were a patriot; now I see you there with our enemies."

"I'm here with my son and the people I care about," Jack responded. "I completely support him and everyone else here."

"Can we just get to the point, Sloane?" John asked.

"Very well," Sloane stated. "I have been authorized to inform you that if you surrender now you will receive fair treatment and no harm will come to any of you."

"That's what they all say," John said, unconvinced.

"Why would we even want to surrender?" Jack asked. "You can't force us to come down. There is nothing on Earth that is capable of reaching us up here."

"Son of a bitch," Natalie mumbled, coming to a realization. As Jack and Sloane continued talking, she pulled John off to the side, between two of Moya's ribs, and whispered in his ear, "They're going to be ready for us when we try to get Chiana."

"That's kind of obvious, isn't it?" John whispered.

"Well, yeah, but that's the only way they can catch us – on the ground. They have nothing that can reach us up here. So, they're going to throw everything they have at us when we get Chi and they'll try to keep us on the ground."

"They probably have her at a military base…" he mumbled lost in thought, looking away.

"Probably an air force base or a naval air station," Natalie suggested.

Looking back at her, he said, "How can we take off when they control the skies?"

"Exactly."

"We're going to need a bigger bomb."

"A what?" she asked, confused. "I thought you used an EMP when you came for me."

"That's what I meant," he answered. "But it cut out before it was supposed to."

"Well…" she trailed off, glancing back at Jack and Sloane. "How do you know they won't be ready for another EMP attack?"

"They probably will be, but we don't stand a chance of getting Chiana back without some kind of help."

Natalie sighed and looked away in thought. Looking back at John, she asked, "Just where did you put the EMP when you got me?"

"We hid the bomb in Dad's truck and sabotaged it so he could leave it there."

"The last time he came to see me?"

"Yeah," he answered. "And when we landed in the pod, I hit the switch and set off the generator."

"We can't do that again," Natalie commented. She looked over at the others and saw they were watching her and John and that Sloane's holo-image was no longer on the portal. She said, "I guess we missed all the fun."

"Too bad," John commented. Walking back to the others, he added, "I still had more I wanted to say."

Joining John, Natalie asked, "You get anything, Tal?"

_Oh… I got a lot,_ he said, concerned. _It was pretty easy, too. _

"Pretty easy?" she asked apprehensively, attracting the attention of everyone in the command.

_It only took me a couple microts to found out where Chiana is. I also found out some other things._

"Like what?"

_I'll have Pilot show you._

"Pilot?" Natalie asked, looking at his image in the viewing shell.

"Receiving data from Talyn now," he stated, then displayed the information on the strategy table.

"Memos," Jack commented, reading the information in the holo image. "From General William Sloane to the Joint Chiefs of Staff… Chiana's at Vandenberg."

Interrupting, John supplied, "Home to Space Command and a bunch of other groups, too."

"Which means what, exactly?" Crais asked, standing across the table from John.

"We're screwed," Natalie answered neutrally. "We're never going to get Chiana out of there without a lot of help and a big distraction."

"Neither of which we have," Zhaan softly said.

"Pilot, wait!" Natalie yelled. "Go back," she instructed studying the image in front of her. "Stop." A shocked expression on her face, she mumbled, "Son of a bitch…"

"What is it?" John asked, concerned.

Looking at Jack, she asked, "Check out these guys being held under house arrest."

Jack stepped closer to the table and, in surprise, read off the names, "Captain Mathew Donovan, First Sergeant David Galve, Sergeant First Class Chris Owens, Staff Sergeant Ellis Haswell, Sergeant Jack Granger, Sergeant Jason Samuels, Sergeant Daren Lipton, Sergeant Jack Hawkins, Sergeant Robert Kozak, Sergeant Adam Weiss, Sergeant Ishmael Reese, Corporal Carlos Martinez, and Corporal Simon Ackerman."

"Who are they?" John asked.

"Matt is… Well, he and I…" she trailed off with a sigh. "I don't know what we are right now. But the others were Chi's and my security detail."

"You two had an entire military team all to yourselves?" he asked.

"Don't worry, Chiana behaved herself." At John's annoyed look, she said, "The President wanted to make sure the two of us were protected with all the nuts showing up to see us, talk to us, and whatever. But when all the trouble started, they were nowhere to be found."

"Now they're begin held at Vandenberg," Jack piped in.

"If they were not involved in the incidents, then why are they being held captive?" Zhaan asked, confused.

Natalie stared at the holo image in silent thought for several microts, then said, "They're bait."

"Bait?" Crais asked.

"Yeah… They know how much Matt means to me and they know I'll try to help Galve and his team because they helped me… sorta."

"That's pretty thin, Natalie," Jack said.

"It's not just that," she replied, sitting down on one of the stools. "Talyn told me that it was pretty easy for him to get into their computers and intranet – that it only took him a few microts. Now Talyn's good at hacking with the facilities he has, but there's no way he could've gotten into the military's system that fast."

"Sloane left the door open for us," Jack said somberly.

"He knew what we were going to try. He's using that against us, and giving us extra incentive to go down to the surface."

"They're going to be ready for us," John said, repeating Natalie's words from their earlier conversation.

----------------------------------------------------

"Do you think they'll help?" Aeryn asked as she lay in bed, still recovering from her wounds. Not too long after receiving Sloane's signal, Aeryn had decided she was well enough to be up and around, and tried to leave. Coming out of the command, John, Zhaan, and Jack caught her and Jothee and had managed to convince both of them to get some more rest before they exerted herself any further. They both decided to get that rest in their quarters, rather than be forced to endure any more coddling from the others in Zhaan's apothecary.

"I don't know," John answered, sitting in a stool at her side, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped. He had told of her their conversation with Sloane, what he and Natalie had figured out, and their current plans, which involved the help of the other men and women they had freed from Ciryn's planet. "I talked with them, but they weren't pretty enthusiastic. After the prison break, I don't blame them." Raising his clasped hands, he rests his forehead against them, and softly said, "All they wanted was to be free and I got them killed."

"They made their choice, John," she said certainly, but positively.

"Did they?" he asked sadly, looking at her.

"John, they _chose_ to come with us to free Grant. You can't blame yourself for that."

"They may have made their choice, but they wouldn't have made it if we hadn't offered them money."

Aeryn let out a frustrated sigh, then took one of his hands, and said, "They chose to accept it, John. They knew the risks, they knew they might be killed, but they still came with us. You didn't force them into it."

"They had absolutely nothing – they needed money to survive. It's like dangling a carrot in front of a starving horse. They would've done anything to get paid."

Aeryn looked away without a response. She was frustrated with John, but still held onto his hand.

After several microts, John said, "I can't ask them to come with us again. I don't want them to lose their lives over a problem we caused."

"Don't you mean Grant and Chiana?"

"The same exact thing would've happened if it had been us instead of them."

The two settled into another silence as they both thought of all that had happened, and what might have. After a while, Aeryn came to a decision and, slowly sitting up, said, "Well, you, Zhaan, and Crais, can't go down there alone…"

"Aeryn, no," John stated adamantly and tried to keep Aeryn from getting up.

"I need to be there when you decide what we're going to do," she stated stubbornly.

"Aeryn, you're not going down there. You're already hurt as it is."

Glaring at him, she asked, "Then what's going to happen if just the three of you try to get Chiana yourselves?" She stood up, waving John's hands out of the way, walked to the storage shelves at the back of their quarters and tried to get dressed.

He shot up from his seat, stopping her as she tried to put on her pants, and said, "You can barely get dressed by yourself. How are you going to help us down there?"

"I'll find a way."

"All right," he sighed, frustrated, and helped her get dressed.

----------------------------------------------------

"I thought I told you to leave your comms on," Natalie said, standing in front of the door to Jason's quarters, her arms crossed. She could see him lying on his bed through the latticework in the door. She had thought he would come here – a person's quarters was the only place anyone could get any privacy. But she couldn't give him that privacy just yet, not after what he had said to her. She just wished that Sloane hadn't interrupted and had forced her to wait to come after Jason until after she and the others talked some about what they needed to do.

"I told you to leave me alone, mom," he said.

"You _told_ me?" she repeated, astonished. Sternly, she said, "Jason, I'm your mother; you don't tell _me_ to do anything."

"Sorry," he mumbled insincerely, gritting his teeth.

With a sigh, she leaned against the door and said, "Look, Jason, I didn't come here to argue with you. I just want to talk."

"What's there to talk about?"

Astonished, Natalie let out a huff and said, "Well, for one thing, how about what you said to me in the command?"

"So?" he asked lamely.

"_So_?" she shouted. "So, you had absolutely no right to say that to me." Jason didn't say anything and Natalie sighed. She said, "Jason, _why_ did you say that to me? You knew that wasn't true, so _why_?" She knew why – he was being impulsive and was angry. But that still didn't excuse his behavior and she needed to hear why from him. "Jason?"

"I don't know," he mumbled.

She sighed again and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Wrapping her arm over her other arm around her abdomen, she softly said, "Jason, I know I haven't been there for you when you needed me, and I'm sorry for that. Hell, I'm sorry for everything… But I'm here now and I'm trying to do the best that I can for you now. But I can't do that if you don't let me in."

"The door controls are right there, mom."

"That's not what I mean."

"Mom, can we please just drop it?" he suddenly asked.

"No, we can't just drop it," she said adamantly. "We need to talk."

"We've already talked, Mom. We did it when you came back last year."

"No, we didn't talk, Jason. We didn't say what we needed to." She sighed and added, "It's been almost two years…"

"You're right," Jason interrupted jumping out of bed and walking up to the door. Looking at her through the latticework, he added, "You haven't been around for almost two years. You haven't been around for anything. So, why should I talk to you now when you weren't there before? You weren't there even before you left on the shuttle."

"I did what I could…"

"Mom!" Jason interrupted.

"I did what I could," she interrupted, shouting, "to try to make life easy for you. I needed to work to do that for you. I know I should have been around more often, but it wasn't easy trying to raise you on my own."

"You always could've asked for help from Grandma… and Grandpa."

"Jason…"

"Just leave me alone, Mom," he softly said, shaking his head slightly. "Just leave me alone," he added, drawing the privacy curtain.

"Jason!" she yelled through the curtain, but her son didn't respond. She closed her eyes with a sigh. Natalie had hoped they could talk before she left for Chiana, especially since she had no idea what was going to happen. She wanted to work things out with him, just in case. Trying to reassure herself more than he, she said, "We'll talk more about this when I get back with Chi."

Sighing again, she turned and walked into her quarters, palming the door closed behind her. She slowly sat on her bed, extending her legs, and leaned back against the bulkhead. She said, "I need to stop trying to be his friend and just ground him for saying that shit."

_Ground him? _Talyn asked skeptically._ He has absolutely nothing to do on Moya. I'd say boredom is punishment enough."_

"You're probably right."

"Natalie, we need you up in the command," she suddenly heard John say over the comms built into her transponder. "You're going to want to be in on what we're talking about."

"I'll be right there," she responded and closed the channel. With another sigh, she mumbled, "Bad timing."

_I was hoping you'd avoid that particular cliché._

"Well, my whole damn life has become a cliché."


	21. Chapter 19

"Aeryn, no!" Natalie heard John shout as she neared the command. She stopped in front of the door to listen.

"We don't have another choice, John," Aeryn yelled back in response. "Your chakan oil idea didn't work when we rescued Grant. We can't take the same risk with trained soldiers!"

There was silence for several microts before John consented. "All right. But we'll still use the diluted oil. The regular chakan oil will only be used as a last resort."

Before anyone else started to argue and waste time, Natalie walked onto the command and asked, "What's going on?" Noticing Aeryn, DK, and Olivia with the others at the strategy table she asked, "What are you guys doing here?"

"We're here to help," DK answered.

Natalie smiled at him, then turned to Aeryn. "Weren't you shot up pretty bad?" she asked.

"Weren't you?" Aeryn replied.

Natalie shrugged in response, then asked, "So? What's goin' on?"

"We found your prowlers," Jack answered.

"Vandenberg?"

"Yeah."

"Surprise, surprise."

"But that still leaves us with three prowlers, three marauders, and Talyn," John piped in.

"They have hetch drives and the Navy and Air Force don't," she suggested.

"Right."

"Well, how is that going to help us?" she asked, walking up to John as he sat at the strategy table. "Yeah, we'll be able to get in fast, but how are we going to get off the ground?"

"Talyn will provide aerial support," Aeryn answered.

Jumping in, Crais added, "Your government could not possibly be so naive that they would try to attack while Talyn provides cover."

"You'd be surprised," Natalie refuted. "What do you think, Tal?"

_It sucks, but it's all we have._

"Then that's what we'll go with," she sighed, sitting down on an empty stool on the other side of John. "But what about the prowlers?"

"We should leave them here on Moya," Aeryn answered. "The only people here who can fly prowlers will be needed on the ground to get Chiana. The ships will be useless to us."

"But are you certain two marauders will be enough?" Zhaan asked.

"They'll have to be," Crais answered.

"Not unless Talyn can magically whip up a transport pod with weapons in the next few arns," John suddenly said.

Staring at Crais, Natalie said, "Well, you can thank the Peacekeepers for that."

"The resources it would take to create armed transport pods were best felt to be given to other more critical systems," Crais stated.

"So, you bred it out of him," John said.

"We tried…"

"All right, so we know how we're going to get out," Natalie interrupted, bringing the conversation back to the point. "But how are we going to get in?"

"We could always surrender," DK suggested. As almost everyone let out a soft chuckle, he added, "I'm not kidding."

"What do you have mind, son?" Jack asked.

----------------------------------------------------

"Jothee, may I come in?" Zhaan asked the young Luxan through the latticework in the door to his quarters.

"Here to check up on me?" he asked softly from his bed, amused.

Zhaan smiled and nodded her head in response, saying "Of course."

"Come in."

Zhaan palmed the door open, walked inside, and sat on the bed next to Jothee, laying the bag she carried in her lap. A small smile on her face, she said, "I cannot check your wound if you don't turn over."

Jothee slowly turned over onto his stomach with a groan as Zhaan pulled back the blanket. She slowly removed the bandage on his back and gently probed the wound. As she reached inside her bag for another bandage and more antibiotics, Jothee said, "Kind of surprising that one of the others didn't come with you here."

"How so?" she asked, applying the medicine to the healing bullet hole.

"Ever since you found me, I haven't even been able to go to the nooley without someone watching over." Shaking his head with a sigh, he continued, "I have never met anyone who treated me like a child as much as you people."

"I don't doubt that you have," Zhaan replied, taping a new bandage to his skin. "But you must understand that they all feel responsible for you."

"Even Crais?" he asked turning over to face her.

"Even Crais." Looking him in the eye, she said, "Your father's death affected us all…"

"It should," he interrupted. "If it weren't for you my father would still be alive."

"It was his choice, Jothee."

"I know that it was his choice. I don't blame him or you for that. But he's still dead, Zhaan."

Zhaan gazed at him sadly, then softly said, "Yes, he is still dead."

Jothee closed his eyes with a sigh and let his head fall. With another sigh, he opened his eyes and glanced around his quarters, trying to find the right words. He came back to Zhaan and finally said, "Ever since my father sent me away, I had been hoping – praying – that he would come for me. But he never did. I was put into slavery when I was seven. Then you come and I find out that he's dead." He closed his eyes again, turning away as he tried to steady himself.

"You're angry."

"Yeah, I'm _very_ frelling angry."

"At your father? Us?" When Jothee didn't respond, Zhaan added, "Or perhaps yourself?"

"What?" he blurted out, jerking his head toward her, surprised. Laughing, he said, "Why would I be angry with myself?"

"I don't know. Why would you be angry with yourself?"

"I don't know," he answered softly.

"Perhaps because of your father?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked, confused.

"Once you heard he had died while trying to save Crichton, you yourself tried to protect him and to help him in conflicts, just as your father had done. Stark told me that before then, you did all that you could to avoid combat. Here on Moya, you have even taken to using your father's qualta blade."

"I'm just doing what I can to stay free."

"To stay free?"

"Stay free, survive, whatever."

"You feel fighting along side Crichton will help you to stay free?"

"I don't know…"

"Zhaan," the heard Crichton say over the comms. "Have you talked with Jothee yet?"

"I am with him now, John," she responded.

"Talk to me about what?" Jothee asked.

"The others wanted me to ask you to go with them to rescue Chiana," she asked.

"That's why you came here?" he accused.

"No," she answered, raising her hands. Laying her hands on top of the bag in her lap, she said, "I came here to tend to your wound. If they were going to ask, then they should have done it themselves."

"Then why didn't they?"

"They needed to go to Talyn to drop off Jason, and to retrieve the marauder there, the people on board, some supplies, and weapons." Laying the bag on the floor, she sighed and said, "As long as I'm here…"

"Will I go with them?"

She nodded in response, but said, "You do not have to if you do not want to, Jothee."

"I don't know… I don't want to get captured again; I don't want to die."

"That's why you are upset? You want to live up to your father, but don't want to be recaptured?"

"I guess. But how did you know?"

With a small smile, she added, "I didn't."

Jothee chuckled, then asked, "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Keep all that rage inside and be so calm?"

Zhaan suddenly sobered, exuding sadness and regret, and answered, "Sometimes I don't."

"I'm sorry."

"It's all right." She immediately stood up, collecting her bag and saying, "I must go now. Keep taking the herbs I have given you. They will help with the pain and help to stimulate cellular growth."

Before she could walk through the door, though, Jothee grabbed her hand, stopping her, and said, "Zhaan…"

"It's all right, Jothee," she interrupted, smiling at him. She walked out, palming the door closed behind her.

----------------------------------------------------

"You sure you want to do this?" Jack asked, as he and his family stood around the workbench in the maintenance bay. Natalie and three of Moya's passengers – two of whom were of the same reptilian-like species – worked around them, loading the marauders with weapons and supplies.

"We don't have much choice, do we?" DK responded as John showed him how to use a pulse pistol.

"Just make sure you don't hit the switch and put it into overload," John instructed as he handed two pulse pistols to his friend who immediately stuffed them into his belt.

"And just how do you know?" Olivia questioned, amused.

"From experience," Aeryn commented, earning a glare from John, but smirks and chuckles from DK, Jack, and Olivia.

"Zhaan," John greeted, diverting attention from him as the former Priestess entered the maintenance bay. "What did he say?"

"He will not be joining us," she answered, coming to stand next to Jack.

"He won't?" Aeryn asked, surprised.

"Why not?" John asked.

"I told him not to. He still needs time to recover." Looking at Aeryn, she added, "As do you and Natalie."

"You can't afford to have me stay behind – you need me. You'd never succeed with only ten people." Glancing at Jack, Olivia, and DK, she continued, "Three of whom aren't even soldiers. You need me. We also need Jothee, but we'll just have to make due without him."

"Hey," Natalie blurted out, walking up to the group. "Are you guys going to help us out, or what?"

"How's Crais comin' along?" John asked as she came to stand next to him.

Natalie stared at him for a microt, then rolled her eyes and said, "I have no idea. Talyn thinks those EM scramblers he's building will take another few arns to finish. But it's pretty damn convenient that he found those in Talyn's data stores after we decided he's coming with us."

"EM scramblers?" Olivia asked, confused.

"They're _supposed_ to let our weapons, gear, and ships work in an EMP field," John answered.

"Of course, we were _supposed_ to have nixed the EMP idea," Natalie said.

John glared at her, and replied, "It's all we have, Natalie. Unless you've got another idea?" He ignored her glare and asked, "Look, are you sure that's all Crais is doing?"

Natalie let out a soft snort and answered, "Talyn and, even though I wish he wasn't, Jason are keeping an eye on him so, for now, yeah."

"Why?" Jack asked concerned. "What's going on with Jason?"

"Jason is a teenager and Crais is Crais…" she trailed off, implying _Do the math_.

"I'm sure Jason'll be fine," Olivia reassured.

"I hope so."

"Jothee," Aeryn suddenly exclaimed, watching the young hybrid walk toward them, his qualta blade strapped to his back.

"Jothee, you shouldn't be here," Zhaan said softly as he came to stand next to her.

"I know," he responded. "But you need help and I have nothing better to do."

----------------------------------------------------

"Damn aliens," Lt. Carrey sighed, breaking the silence and leaning back in his chair in the Wadjet Eye Control Center. Keeping his eye on the monitors, he commented, "You can bet they'll be coming after that thing they've got locked up here."

"You mean Commander Crichton and Chiana?" Lt. Buchman asked.

"Like I said, those damn aliens and that thing."

"They have names, you know."

Turning to Buchman, Carrey stated, "They attacked us. You actually sympathize with them?"

"Where the hell did that come from?" Buchman exclaimed. "Just where did I say I sympathized with them?"

"Sorry," he said apologetically, turning back to the monitors.

"Look, I can't blame them for trying to help their friends. Anyone would do the same thing, including you and me. But does that mean I like having them here? That I'm a sympathizer?"

"No."

"No, it doesn't. In fact, I wish they would go away and leave us alone. I wish they had never come here in the first place with all the trouble they've caused. If things had happened differently, maybe I'd feel different about them. But right now they're a threat because, like you said, they're going to come after Chiana, and we have to deal with that. But I can still understand where they're coming from."

"You are _so_ wise, so knowing…" Carrey said mockingly. "You're my hero, you know?"

"This is what I'm saying."

The two sat in silence again, watching the monitors and the radar screens, for nearly half an hour before all warning signals and warning lights went off and alerted the two to an incoming craft. Buchman immediately activated the intercom, keeping his eyes on the monitors, and exclaimed, "We've got a single bandit, incoming from Moya. It's on course straight for Vandenberg." Activating the daylight and thermal cameras, he added, "The design matches descriptions of a marauder."

"Scramble all fighters!" they heard Major Martin order over the intercom. At that moment every single pilot in the 14th Air Force suited up and raced to their waiting fighters.

A minute later, Major Martin walked into the control room, and Carrey reported, "The marauder is still on course, Sir. Approximately fifty miles out."

"They're not in much of a hurry to get here, are they?" Martin mumbled.

"Sir, we're receiving a transmission from the craft," Buchman reported.

"Put it on," he ordered.

"…This is Doctor Douglas Knox. I'm on the marauder. Please, don't fire."

Speaking into a microphone, Martin responded, "Doctor Knox, this is Major Thomas Martin, Wadjet Eye Control. What are your intentions?"

"I'm not here to attack," DK replied. "I just want to speak with General Sloane. I've captured the Crichtons and Natalie Grant."


	22. Chapter 20

"This is a bad idea," Natalie commented, stuffing two small daggers into her right sleeve as she sat in the crew section of the marauder, behind the cockpit. Grabbing a pulse pistol from the weapons rack behind her, she stuffed it in the holster on her left leg.

"This is the plan we all signed off on, Grant," Aeryn said through the open hatch. She watched the vid screens in front of her as she piloted the marauder out of Moya's transport hangar.

"Thank you for proving my point."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Olivia asked nervously, sitting next to Natalie.

"Our plans suck and never go the way they're supposed to," John answered from the co-pilot's seat, helping Aeryn fly the craft.

Glancing between Olivia, DK, and Jack, Natalie stated, "Which is exactly why the three of you shouldn't be here."

"If this plan is going to work, you guys absolutely need me to be here," DK said, sitting across from Natalie, two pulse pistols stuffed into his belt. "Olivia and I weren't a part of the prison break, so Sloane will have no reason to believe that I'm a threat."

Looking between Jack and Olivia, she said, "That still doesn't explain why the two of you should be here."

"We're here to sweeten the pot," Olivia offered. "They won't be able to pass up the entire Crichton family."

Natalie looked to Jack in disbelief, but he only said, "She's as stubborn as her brother."

"We're being tracked," Aeryn interrupted, checking her instruments. "They're launching their fighters."

"F-15s and F-22s probably," Jack added.

"It's time, guys," John said, looking back at the others. As Natalie, Olivia, and Jack put on handcuffs, but kept them unlocked, he asked DK, "You sure you're up for this?"

"We don't have much choice, do we?" DK replied, walking through the hatch into the cockpit.

"No, we don't." John opened a comms channel, then turned to DK, and said, "You're on."

"This is Doctor Douglas Knox on the approaching marauder. Don't fire. I say again, this is Doctor Douglas Knox. I'm on the marauder. Please, don't fire."

"Doctor Knox, this is Major Thomas Martin, Wadjet Eye Control," they heard over the comms. "What are your intentions?"

Taking a deep breath, DK swallowed nervously and responded, "I'm not here to attack. I just want to speak with General Sloane. I've captured the Crichtons and Natalie Grant."

There was no response for several microts, prompting Olivia to worriedly ask, "They're not calling our bluff, are they?"

Suddenly, Major Martin warily responded, "I'll need some proof before I allow you to see the General, Doctor."

"All right," DK answered, pulling a pistol from his belt and aiming it toward John. "Let him see," he ordered and John activated the cameras in the cockpit and in the crew section, giving the general a view of the interior of the ship, except for Aeryn in the pilot's seat.

"Very well," Martin replied. "A flight of F-22s will escort you to Vandenberg where you will receive landing instructions. Once on the ground, you will exit your craft and surrender all weapons, understood?"

"Understood, Major." To John, DK ordered, "Close the channel." Once the comms channel was closed and the camera turned off, DK flopped down into the chair behind John and laid the pistols in his lap with a sigh. "I hated that."

"Well, it's almost over," Aeryn softly said. "Once we get Chiana, we're leaving."

"Are you sure it's going to be that easy?"

"No," she sighed.

"There they are," John piped in, bringing up a view of the six F-22s on one of the screens.

"Negative return," Jack mumbled, earning a glance from Natalie. After a microt, Natalie suddenly let out a neutral huff and Jack asked, "What?"

"Talyn says 'Hopefully not'."

"We're all hoping the same thing," Olivia said nervously with a sigh.

"Do you think this is going to work?" DK asked. "Turning this ship into an EMP bomb?"

"It should."

"You don't sound too confident, Bro."

"I'm not. Crais knows more about this stuff than I do, how I don't know, but…"

"You don't trust him?" Olivia interrupted, sitting on the edge of her seat.

"It's not that..."

"The other EMP," DK filled in.

"Yeah."

Sitting back against the bulkhead, Natalie lightheartedly stated, "In other words, the EMP mechanism could fail and we'll all get caught with no way of getting off the planet."

"How optimistic of you," John mumbled. Suddenly, the screen in front of him indicated they were receiving a transmission and he opened a comms channel. All he received on his screen were landing instructions. Looking at Aeryn, he said, "Guess they don't want to talk to us anymore."

"Too bad," she commented sarcastically, reading the landing instructions on one of the displays in front of her. After several more microts of flight, she saw their designated landing area near a group of hangars as they approached the base and put the marauder into a shallow dive, leaving their escort behind.

"What? No red carpet?" John asked, looking at the military personnel, HMMWVs and LAVs surrounding their landing area as Aeryn stopped their forward motion and lowered the craft vertically.

"You expecting to get a little naked gold statue?" Olivia quipped.

"Something other than a bullet would be nice."

"Now who's the cynic?" Natalie asked, readying the pulse cannon, two high-powered pulse rifles, and three packs full of tarbick grenades in the rack behind her.

"Get ready," Aeryn interrupted as she had John lower the landing gear, then landed the ship.

"The other marauder just left Moya and they're waiting for you, Aeryn," Natalie suddenly commented, having seen the Peacekeeper craft leave the Leviathan through her transponder.

"Let's get this over with," DK said, standing up.

John immediately pressed the release, lowering the hatch, then stood up and walked out of the craft after Jack, Olivia, and Natalie with DK right behind him, holding a gun on him. Once outside at the aft end of the ship, they came to a stop at the sight of nearly twenty soldiers and military police, surrounding them, aiming assault rifles in their direction as multiple spotlights shone at them.

"Doctor Knox, this is Major Martin," they heard over a loudspeaker from one of the HMMWVs. "Relinquish your weapons and step away from the prisoners."

"Where's General Sloane?" DK yelled, shielding himself behind John.

"Do as instructed and we will take you to him."

"Not yet. I want to set some ground rules with Sloane before you arrest me along with them."

Martin didn't respond for several seconds and they all knew DK had called them on their true intentions. When Martin did finally respond, he said, "We're sorry, Doctor, but the General can't be brought out in the open."

"I didn't say that I wanted to see him out here. You can take us inside so I can see him."

"I can't do that, Sir. But you won't be arrested. We will take you to see General Sloane and you will be able to discuss immunity possibilities."

As DK and the Major continued, John quickly whispered into his comms, "Aeryn, no choice; do it now."

Almost immediately, a loud bang came from the marauder and every electronic device in a five square mile area shut off. An instant later, several smoke grenades were ejected from ports on the marauder, creating a dense cloud that spread rapidly before the soldiers and MPs could fire. Using the cloud for cover, John took both pistols from DK, holstering them, and he and Natalie put on their night vision monocles as DK, Jack, and Olivia went back into the marauder, passing Aeryn who was coming out. Her monocle already on and pulse cannon in hand, she handed the packs and pulse rifles to John and Natalie and they aimed their weapons at the heat acoustics of the soldiers and MPs.

Unfortunately, all of the soldiers recovered from their surprise and opened fire before the three could take any action of their own. Bullets struck the concrete beneath the marauder and ricocheted off the ship's hull as Aeryn planted herself on the ground next to the aft landing strut. John and Natalie took cover behind it.

Reaching into her pack, Aeryn grabbed a tarbick grenade, activated it, and threw it at a group of soldiers in front of her.

"Grenade!" one of them yelled and Aeryn watched as they scattered, then shut her eyes a microt before the device exploded. The small blast illuminated the area and blinded the men. Unfortunately, John and Natalie had been so focused on defending themselves that they hadn't realized Aeryn used the grenade and were blinded as well.

In the confusion, Aeryn got up and ran ahead to the perimeter created by the soldiers to cause confusion as she took them out. Still blind, all John and Natalie could do was listen to the yelling, gunfire, and pulse blasts as Aeryn moved about the vehicles and personnel. The sounds were terrifying; they knew what Aeryn was capable of.

Slowly regaining her sight as the smoke began to clear, Natalie poked her head out from around the landing strut and noticed several bodies lying on the ground yards in front of her. It looked like Aeryn was working her way around the marauder.

"Natalie!" John suddenly yelled, getting her attention. As she spun around, they both got to one knee and fired their weapons at the four men coming up to their right. The pulse fire didn't even stop them as only their kevlar caught fire; it didn't take them long to put out the fires as they advanced on Natalie and John and took cover beside the treblin side landing strut. The two humans were momentarily stunned that their pulse blasts had little effect, but they soon regrouped and ran. Unfortunately, they ran right into another team of four with the other four soldiers coming up behind them.

"Crap," John sighed as he and Natalie dropped their weapons and raised their hands.

"If you're going to swear, go all the way," Natalie commented.

"Shut up and get down on the ground!" was all she earned as the soldiers approached.

The two did as ordered with their arms and legs spread, but Natalie turned to look at John and whispered, "Don't move."

Less than a microt later, with Crais in the pilot's seat, the second marauder flew in, its pulse cannons raining down fire upon the military personnel and their vehicles. The men fell to the ground unconscious before they could get off a shot, legs broken and bodies on fire. Once the men were on the ground, Natalie and John jumped up, ran for cover to Aeryn under their marauder, and watched as the other craft circled the landing zone and continued to fire at the armored vehicles. The marauder's chakan oil diluted as well, the pulse blasts only rocked the LAVs as they bounced off their armored shells. A few HMMWVs, however, were flipped onto their sides and roofs.

Taking fire from the .50 caliber machine guns mounted on the HMMWVs and the .30 caliber guns on the LAVs, the marauder rose into the sky and momentarily retreated. A microt later, the marauder returned, taking fire once again, but firing back at the weapon turrets. Pulse blasts and tracers lit the sky as several gun turrets exploded, the ammunition in the ammo boxes heating to the point that the gun powered exploded. Shrapnel flew everywhere, taking out the men surrounding the vehicles.

Suddenly, two still-functional LAVs fired their 25mm guns at the marauder. The bulky craft barrel rolled as several 25mm rounds harmlessly passed in between the main body and the forward landing struts. However, the maneuver put four rounds directly in line with the ship. Pulse fire shot out from the marauder, but two rounds got through. They slammed into the upper half of the hammond side strut, shearing off most of the upper portion of the strut and sending shrapnel tearing into the cockpit and crew section of the ship. Crais had no choice but to put the marauder down on the ground.

Before the LAVs could fire again before the craft landed, John, Aeryn, and Natalie ran up to the two vehicles, climbing onto them, and set their tarbick grenades on the barrels of the 25mm gun and the two .30 caliber guns mounted on each of the vehicles. Unfortunately, the crews heard them climbing onto the LAVs and popped out of the hatches.

John was knocked off the LAV by the driver's compartment hatch as he climbed down the front of the vehicle. Aeryn, on the other hand, was still on the LAV next to the gun turret when the gunner and commander's hatches opened.

Aeryn immediately shot the driver in the shoulder blade with her pulse cannon, threw a pantak jab into the face of the gunner, knocking him back, then quickly jumped onto the turret and threw a kick into the commander's Adam's apple. The commander fell back in to the turret, choking, his hands at his throat, as the driver fell out of the vehicle. The gunner was still standing, but with a broken nose. Aeryn reached down and grabbed him by his flak vest, pulling him out of the turret and throwing him to the ground. Jumping off the LAV, she planted her back against one of the four wheels for cover as she pulled a triggering device out of her belt and set off the grenades. The barrels were torn apart by the explosions and sent shrapnel flying everywhere.

Once everything settled, Aeryn stood up and kicked the soldier in the forehead as he got onto all fours. The kick flipped him onto his back and Aeryn kicked him across the jaw. He rolled onto his side, moaning in pain through gritted teeth, his jaw broken. He tried to sit up, but Aeryn swung the butt of her pulse cannon across his temple and knocked him out.

Hearing John cry out, she threw her head towards the front of the vehicle and saw John being shoved into the front of the LAV. He spun around and tried to throw a right cross, but the soldier blocked it. He grabbed John's arm, twisting it and planting his leg in between John's, then shoved John to the ground, pulling his arm behind his back.

Aeryn ran to them and plowed through the soldier, knocking him to the ground. She ran back to him as he got to his knees and tried to swing the butt of her pulse cannon into his temple, but he caught it and aimed a punch to her abdomen. However, he stopped mid-swing once he noticed his attacker had breasts, then looked up into her face, seeing for certain she was a woman. His momentary hesitation gave Aeryn the chance to punch him across his other temple with her other hand, knocking him to the ground again. But he still held onto Aeryn's pulse weapon, pulling her down with him.

Seeing Aeryn go down, John jumped up, ran up to both of them, and kicked the solider in the gut, forcing him to release Aeryn. He reached down and grabbed the driver by the collar, pulling him up to his feet, then threw a punch across his cheek, knocking him back against the LAV. The man pushed himself off of the vehicle, trying to punch John, but he blocked the punch and rammed his fist into the soldier's stomach. With the man hunched over, his arms around his abdomen, John gave him a pantak Jab to the forehead and knocked him onto his back on the ground.

With the soldier dazed, John turned around to help Aeryn only to find that she had already gotten up and been waiting for him. Annoyed, she said, "Wonderful plan, Crichton. Our pulse weapons don't work against their armor."

"Well, how was I supposed to know?" he ask, exasperated. Walking up to her, he added, "I just didn't want anyone getting killed this time."

Suddenly, Aeryn shoved him aside, pulled out her pulse, and shot the driver, who was finally getting up, in the face. He fell to the ground unconscious. Holstering her pistol, she turned toward the other LAV to see how Natalie was doing. The only person she saw was a soldier unconscious on the ground. She asked, "Where's Grant?"

As John turned toward the LAV, he suddenly heard two loud 'cracks' as he suddenly felt rush of wind go by his check. Looking to Aeryn, he saw her go down, her hand at her left ear, then looked up to see two MPs behind her, holding their rifles on them. John mumbled, "I should've expected that."

----------------------------------------------------

Her pulse rifle now strapped to her back, Natalie rushed to the LAV and climbed onto it, slapping Tarbick grenades onto the barrels of the vehicle's guns. She wasn't very quiet about it and the three people inside immediately popped out of their respective hatches. Natalie found herself caught, standing over the barrel of the main gun, in between the gunner and vehicle commander in gun turret and the driver in his cabin.

As she heard a pulse blast coming from the other LAV, she spun around to her right, kicking through the driver's head and knocking him over, her coat fanning out in the wind. Coming back around, she backhanded the commander across the cheek, knocking him out of the turret, then brought her fist back and punched the gunner across the nose. He dropped back into the turret, his hands covering his broken bloodied nose, but not before Natalie tore his helmet off him as he fell.

Suddenly, the driver came up behind her, grabbed the pulse rifle, pulling her against him, and wrapped his arms around her throat in a sleeper hold. Fighting against him, she tried to elbow him in the head, but he was too close to her for her to hit him. Instead, she reached back and grabbed his head as she dropped to one knee, flipping him over onto the turret. The grenades attached to the other LAV suddenly went off, momentarily blinding Natalie. She tore off her monocle, accidentally tossing it away, and shut her eyes as the soldier tried to get up. But Natalie heard him and, seeing him in the dark and through the spots in her eyes, she punched him in the gut with the helmet, then twisted around, twisting her leg, and brought her foot up from behind, slamming the outside of her foot into his face. She knocked him onto his back on the turret in a daze.

She rubbed her eyes for a microt, trying to rid them of the white spots she saw, then climbed up onto the turret, straddled the LAV driver and repeatedly slammed the helmet into his temple. Once he was unconscious with a fractured skull, Natalie rolled him off the LAV and he fell to the ground in a heap.

Tossing the helmet, she jumped off the LAV and landed on the other side of it. She crouched down next to one of the wheels of the armored vehicle and pulled the remote trigger to the grenades out of her belt. But the vehicle commander suddenly came up behind her, grabbing her by the coat, and picked her up.

Surprised, she accidentally dropped the trigger. She recovered quickly, though, and spun around, punching the man across the jaw. He fell against the hull of the LAV and, almost immediately, pushed himself off, throwing a quick punch to her cheek. Spinning around, her hand cradling her bruised cheek, Natalie backed kicked the LAV commander, shoving him back against the LAV. Following through, she punched him across his cheek, dazing him, then grabbed his head and slammed it against the armored hull of the LAV as hard as she could. He slid to the ground, but in the darkness Natalie couldn't tell whether she'd knocked him out or not.

Hearing two unexpected gunshots at the other LAV, Natalie pulled out one of her pulse pistols and kept it at the ready as she started to run. But the LAV commander suddenly grabbed the pulse rifle strapped to her back, pulling her down to the ground with a thud.

"Shit," she cringed, rolling over. She pulled the pulse rifle to her side and rubbed her back where she landed on the rifle as she stood up.

As she tried to get up, though, the commander grabbed her by the coat and picked her up, trying to take the pulse pistol from her. But Natalie kneed him in the gut, forcing him back against the vehicle. He recovered quickly and lunged for her, forcing her to the ground. He landed on top of her and managed to pull the pulse pistol from her grasp, turning it toward her. However, Natalie still had her pulse rifle. Reaching for it, she pressed the barrel of the rifle against his crotch and fired. He jumped off her, dropping the pistol and screaming in pain, and rolled on the ground in a fetal position, his hands at his crotch.

Getting up, Natalie retrieved her pulse pistol and holstered it as she ran back to the LAV. Climbing onto it, she saw in the moonlight two soldiers holding John and Aeryn at bay. She pulled a grenade off the barrel of one of the 30 caliber machine guns, threw it at the two soldiers, and the explosive device landed behind them.

Sliding off the LAV, Natalie searched for the triggering device for the grenades. Once she found it, she crouched down next to one of the wheels of the vehicle and pressed the trigger.


End file.
